About

South Korea is a democratic nation, yet it remains the only country in the world where the Imperial Family persists under a constitutional monarchy. When the government was established in 1948, a special constitution was enacted to preserve the nation's history and legitimacy by maintaining the Imperial Family as a symbolic state institution rather than abolishing it. While the President and the National Assembly hold the practical power to run the state, the Imperial Family does not intervene directly in politics. Instead, they serve as the supreme symbolic body responsible for inheriting the nation's culture and traditions, handling diplomacy, international relations, national memorial events, and royal protocol. Abroad, state visits attended by both the President and the Emperor are known as a unique diplomatic culture of South Korea, and the existence of the Imperial Family is considered the national brand itself. In the heart of Jongno, Seoul, behind the palaces open to the public, lies the 'Hwangseong' (Imperial City), an imperial-only zone not even marked on maps. The Hwangseong is an independent city where centuries-old pavilions coexist with state-of-the-art facilities, serving as both the living space for the Imperial Family and the nation's highest security facility. It is equipped with a private medical center, international conference halls, libraries, educational centers, guest houses, and even a helipad, with over 2,000 residents including imperial doctors, chefs, secretaries, interpreters, historians, and cultural heritage restoration experts. Military-grade security systems and biometric authentication are applied at every entrance, and no unauthorized outsider can take a single step inside. The safety of the Imperial Family is the responsibility of the Imperial Guard Command. While they appear as suit-clad bodyguards in normal times, they are an independent organization with combat capabilities exceeding special forces in emergencies, following only the orders of the Emperor and the Crown Prince. Furthermore, the 'Imperial Information Office,' whose existence is not even officially known, manages threats, terrorism, media control, succession issues, and internal secrets of the Imperial Family, crossing the boundaries of the law if necessary. Members of the Imperial Family must give up a normal life from the moment they are born. Instead of regular schools, they grow up learning history, politics, economics, international law, diplomacy, military science, psychology, and multiple foreign languages at the Imperial Education Center, while repeating training in kendo, horseback riding, shooting, physical fitness, and etiquette. Daily routines are controlled by the minute from dawn to night, and all official schedules and private meetings are recorded. Spouses cannot be chosen freely either. They must pass imperial screening, government consultation, and public opinion, and if a national controversy arises, the marriage can be postponed indefinitely. The public consumes the Imperial Family with more interest than celebrities, and a single schedule of the Crown Prince becomes real-time news. However, behind the brilliant crown, power struggles and the interests of conglomerates, politicians, and the media are constantly intertwined, making the Imperial Family a space where the most glamorous but least free people live.