고종은 종묘나 사직에 나아가거나 경모궁·육상궁 등에 전알하러 나아갈 때 행차 하루 전 出宮할 門路를 밝혔고, 다음날 비가 오거나 날씨가 추워 행차 자체가 불가능한 날을 제외하고는 傳敎한 門을 통해 거의 행차하였다.
고종이 전교한 출궁문로는 대개 경복궁 내에 있는 구체적인 門을 가리켰는데, 때에 따라서는 전교된 문이 포함된 路를 가리키기도 하였다. 고종은 이 門 안쪽에서 출궁의 준비를 모두 마치고 대기하였다가 通禮가 행차 준비가 다 되었음을 아뢰면 비로소 輿를 타고 행차하였다.
출궁문로에 관한 전교는 궁궐 밖의 행차만이 아니라 궁궐 안의 행차에도 전교되었기 때문에 같은 궁궐 안에서도 출궁의 의식을 치르고 나아가야 하는 장소가 따로 존재했음을 보여준다. 출궁문로는 ‘출궁’이라는 용어에서도 엿볼 수 있듯이 고종의 인식 속에서 경복궁의 공간을 구분 짓는 경계점이었다고 볼 수 있다.
이에 본 논문에서는 궁궐 내의 出宮門路에 주목하여 고종연간 경복궁에서 고종이 인식하고 있었던 공간 구분을 『북궐도형』에 구현해 보았다.
그리고 출궁문로를 찾아나가는 과정에서 便殿의 이동에 따라 출궁문로가 변화하고 있음을 알게 되었다. 처음 고종은 正殿인 勤政殿과 便殿인 思政殿 및 修政殿 사이를 공간 구분의 경계로 생각하고 있었으나, 편전이 이동함에 따라 출궁문로가 이동하면서 고종의 공간 인식에 변화를 가져왔다.
고종의 便殿은 神貞王后와의 관계와 두 번의 화재, 그리고 국정운영 등에 따라 이동하였고, 이에 따라 출궁문로의 수도 늘어났다. 특히 화재 때문에 사용할 수 있는 전각이 제한되자, 화재 피해가 없었던 경복궁의 북쪽 공간이 고종의 便殿으로 적극 활용되었다.
편전의 이동으로 본래 편전으로 지어졌던 사정전과 수정전은 그 기능이 쇠퇴하였고, 갑오개혁 당시에는 수정전에 의정부가 설치되면서 고종이 원하던 국왕권 회복과는 거리가 먼 상황을 만들어냈다.
출궁문로를 통해 고종이 러시아 공사관으로 이동하기 전까지 인식하고 있었던 경복궁은 북쪽으로는 건선문, 서쪽으로는 만시문-수인문-옹화문, 남쪽으로는 숭양문-사정문-숭덕문-계인문, 동쪽으로는 향욱문-이극문을 경계로 구분지어 있었다.When King Gojong would visit Jongmyo Shrine or Sajik to pay his respects at Gyeongmogung or Yuksanggung, Chulgung-munro(出宮門路, the Exit gate path) would be notified a day in advance. King Gojong would use the gate which was notified, except in cases where bad weather prevailed.
The exit gate notified by King Gojong indicates the specific gate within Gyeongbokgung Palace and sometimes of the name of the path including the gate. King Gojong would prepare for his appearance behind the gate and would appear on a palanquin after the Tongrae announced the King's presence. Depending on the occasion, Hwangung-munro(還宮門路, the Return gate path) would be notified and would usually be the one from which was exited.
After the notification on the gate to return & exit was made for an appearance within the palace, it was indicated that a place was necessary in the palace for an exit ritual. As the name of these paths implies, the exit gate path and the return gate path were the boundaries of Gyeongbokgung Palace for King Gojong.
In this paper, I have focused on the exit gate path within the palace designated by King Jeong-jo, and King Gojong's awareness of space in Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was realized in the 『Bukguol figure』.
During the research process to find the exit gate path, it came to my knowledge that the exit gate path was changed according to the movement of Pyunjeon(便殿, the King's council hall). At first, King Gojong had thought of the space among Geunjeongjeon(勤政殿, the Main hall of Gyeongbokgung Palace), Sajeongjeon and Sujeongjeon(思政殿·修政殿, the King's council hall) as a boundary of space division, but as Pyunjeon moves as well as the exit gate path, King Gojong's awareness of space changed.
Pyunjeon of King Gojong was diversified due to the relationship with Empress Shinjeong, two fires, and the state affaires of King Gojong. The number of exit gate paths increased accordingly, which resulted in the realization of King Gojong's spacial awareness. In particular, when the available areas within the palace were limited by the fire and the northern part of Gyeongbokgung Palace which did not suffer from the fire had become Pyunjeon, the spatial awareness of King Gojong changed.
According to the diversification of Pyunjeon, Sajeongjeon &Sujeongjeon which were built for Pyunjeon's purposes, had lost its designated function, and the establishment of Uijeongbu at Sujeongjeon during the Gabo Reform of 1894 created the situation far from conducive to the restoration of a King's power, as King Gojong had desired.
Nevertheless, despite the lost function as Pyunjeon, Sajeong gate(思政門), placed in front of Sajeongjeon, was continuously used as an exit gate path, suggesting that King Gojong's awareness of space for the spacial division in the southern part of Gyeongbokgung Palace did not change. Because of Geunjeongjeon in front of Sajeongjeon, King Gojong could have utilized &changed the purpose of other buildings, except Geunjeongjeon which was a national symbolic icon to be reached after the ritual of exit.
The space of Gyeongbokgung Palace recognized by King Gojong prior to the escape to the Russian legation through the exit gate path, are divided in boundaries, as Gunsunmun for the north, Mansimun-Suinmun-Onghwamun(萬始門-壽仁門-雍化門) for the west, Sungyangmun-Sajeongmun-Sungdukmun-Kyeinmun(崇陽門-思政門-崇德門-啓仁門)for the south, and Hyangoukmun-yeekukmun(嚮旭門-貳極門) for the east.