Oehaengjeon, King's office quarters(Namhansanseong Emergency Palace)

The Oehaengjeon, the office quarters of the king at Namhansanseong, was built in 1625 together with the Naehaengjeon, the king’s living quarters, as the central building of the lower section of the palace. Just like its counterpart in the upper section, the structure of palace building consists of seven bays at the front and back and four bays at the sides, although the total floor space is slightly smaller than in the Naehaengjeon. According to contemporary records, King Injo held a feast at the Oehaengjeon during the Byeongjahoran (Second Manchu Invasion of Korea), in an effort to raise the morale of the troops guarding his fortified palace against the Manchus. The records also state that the king had to move to the Naehaengjeon after the Oehaengjeon was struck by a projectile fired by the Manchu-Qing forces from nearby Hanbong Peak. In peaceful times the building was used as the office of the Yusu of Gwangju. A photograph of the original building printed the in Joseon Gojeokdobo (Illustrated Report on the Korean Cultural Heritage) shows that three of its front columns were hung with long wooden plaques inscribed with the following famous poetic passages.

聖代初回三古俗 As the peaceful world reigned by a holy king has returned through three old customs,
禁林長住萬年春 May there come ten thousand springs and let them remain long in the palace grove.
春在聖人方寸裏 Spring is in the depth of the holy king’s mind, and
民皆元氣太和中 People are all in the ultimate harmony of vitality.
萬民歌舞康衢月 All the people sing and dance in busy streets every month, and
千里煙霞壽域春 Smoke and the sunset glow spreading over a distance of ten thousand li, Show that spring has come to a peaceful world.