Bonghwanggak Pavilion was built in 1912 by Uiam Son Byeong-hui, one of the 33 leaders of the March First Independence Movement, after he bought around 92㎡ of land in Ui-dong, Sungin-myeon, Goyang-gun in 1911 for the purpose of training Cheondogyo religiousleaders and reclaim the national sovereignty lost to Japanese colonialism in the name of promoting the national interests and providing for the welfare of the Korean people. The pavilion is a wooden Korean house in the shape of the characters ‘弓乙.’ This is because ‘弓乙’, read as Gung Eul, is a part of ‘Gung Eul Sa Sang’, one of the core teachings of the Cheondogyo. At a first glance, the building looks to be a private house, but its style has incorporated aspects of palace annexes. The name ‘Bonghwanggak Pavilion’ is derived from the word ‘Bonghwang’, which often appears in the poetry of Choi Je-u.

* Source : Website from the Bureau of Cultural Properties of Seoul