Changdeokgung was the most favored palace of many Joseon kings and retained many elements dating from the Three Kingdoms of Korea period that were not incorporated in the more contemporary Gyeongbokgung.

The palace was also attacked by the Manchu Qing but throughout its history of reconstruction and repair has remained faithful to its original design.

However, residence in the palace in the post-war period was at the whim of the republican leaders, and after the Korean liberation in 1945 it would take the resignation of Rhee Syngman for former imperial family members to be allowed back in.

Today there are 13 buildings remaining on the palace grounds and 28 pavilions in the gardens, occupying 110 acres (45 hectares) in all and the area is designated as Historical Site No.

Bugaksan in the back and River Geumcheon having flowing in the front influenced by the principle baesanimsu (배산임수; lit.

Kings' houses like Seonjeongjeon, Huijeongdang, and Nakseonjae are surrounded in many folds of buildings and courts in case any outsider breaks in.

The architectural style of Changdeokgung overall features simplicity and frugality because of Confucian ideology prosperous during the Joseon Period.

[3] Through the commitment to Confucianism, royal members and scholars used principles to maintain a bureaucratic state and socio-political order.

Today Koreans often call it 'Biwon' (비원, 秘院, Secret garden) which derived from the office of same name in the late 19th century.

It contains a U-shaped water channel carved in 1636 for floating wine cups, with a small waterfall and an inscribed poem on the boulder above it.

The UNESCO committee stated the place was an "outstanding example of Far Eastern palace architecture and garden design" being exceptional because the buildings are "integrated into and harmonized with the natural setting" and adapted "to the topography and retaining indigenous tree cover.

"[7] Portions of the palace were used to film the hugely popular Korean drama Dae Jang Geum in the first decade of the 21st century.