Week 14. My Recent Wikipedia Edits - Jeong seolah (정설아)

   I made several edits to the Wikipedia page for 'Gyeongbokgung'. 

Gyeongbokgung, built in 1395, was the first royal palace of the Joseon dynasty in Seoul, South Korea. It flourished during King Sejong's reign but was destroyed during the Imjin War in 1592 and restored in the late 19th century under King Gojong. During Japanese colonial rule, most of the palace was demolished. Since the 1980s, large-scale restoration efforts have been ongoing. Today, it is a major tourist site, featuring museums, cultural events, and free admission for visitors in hanbok.

Below is a summary of the changes I contributed

1. “have been helpful for recreating” → “have helped recreate”
   Reason: Improved verb clarity and conciseness by using active voice.
   ➤ Makes the sentence more direct and natural.

2. “a number of buildings” → “several buildings”
   Reason: “Several” is more concise and natural in encyclopedic tone.
   ➤ Reduces wordiness while keeping the meaning.

3. “at the palace afterwards,” → “at the palace afterward,”
   Reason: Changed to American English spelling ("afterward").
   ➤ Maintains consistency with American English style used in the article.

4. “in the 25th day” → “on the 25th day”
   Reason: Corrected preposition. Dates use “on,” not “in.”
   ➤ Ensures grammatical correctness.

5. “Embassy of Japan” → “the Embassy of Japan”
   Reason: Added definite article “the” before institution name.
   ➤ Standard for named institutions.

6. “Embassy of the United States” → “the Embassy of the United States”
   Reason: Same as above. Ensures proper noun is clearly defined.
   ➤ Improves formal clarity.

7. “Government Complex” → “the Government Complex”
   Reason: Added “the” to specify the particular complex mentioned.
   ➤ Correct article usage for specific landmarks.

8. “not detailed architectural records nor artistic depictions.” →
   “not detailed architectural records or artistic depictions.”
   Reason: In standard English, "not...or..." is used rather than "not...nor..."
   ➤ Improves idiomatic correctness.

9. “This led to significant proliferation of hanbok” →
   “This led to a significant proliferation of hanbok”
   Reason: Inserted article “a” to correct countable noun usage.
   ➤ Improves grammatical structure.

10. “night time” → “nighttime”
    Reason: “Nighttime” is the correct closed compound form.
    ➤ Aligns with modern spelling conventions.

11. “some time between 1867 and 1873.” → “sometime between 1867 and 1873.”
    Reason: “Sometime” (one word) is the proper usage in this context.
    ➤ Corrects word form.

12. “home of Japanese businessman” → “home of a Japanese businessman”
    Reason: Added article “a” for grammatical accuracy.
    ➤ Prevents sentence from sounding incomplete.

13. “examplary” → “exemplary”
    Reason: Corrected spelling error.
    ➤ Fixes typo for proper word use.

14. “this reconstruction to the pre-war palace.” →
    “this reconstruction of the pre-war palace.”
    Reason: Corrected preposition from “to” to “of.”
    ➤ Improves clarity and grammatical accuracy.

15. “The reasons for why Joseon kings” →
    “The reasons why Joseon kings”
    Reason: Removed redundant “for.”
    ➤ Avoids unnecessary phrasing.

16. “being having the palace” → “being to have the palace”
    Reason: Adjusted awkward phrase to improve clarity.
    ➤ Fixes grammatical awkwardness.

17. “5th month of that year” → “the 5th month of that year”
    Reason: Added “the” for natural-sounding date reference.
    ➤ Conforms to typical English usage.

18. “still in tact” → “still intact”
    Reason: Fixed spelling error (“intact” is one word).
    ➤ Corrects vocabulary mistake.

19. “such as it having 390 rooms” → “such as it had 390 rooms”
    Reason: Simplified awkward phrasing to past tense clause.
    ➤ Improves readability.

20. “Gyeongbokgung and National Palace Museum of Korea.” →
    “and the National Palace Museum of Korea.”
    Reason: Added definite article “the” before the museum name.
    ➤ Proper noun standardization.

Here is the link. 

Gyeongbokgung - Wikipedia

2) Any new, interesting, or unusual items learned

One interesting point is that after Korea’s liberation in 1945, the United States Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) continued to use the former Government-General of Chōsen Building—located within Gyeongbokgung Palace—as its headquarters, renaming it the "Central Government Building." Even major national events, such as the founding ceremony of South Korea, were held there.

This is historically striking because a building that symbolized Japanese colonial rule was repurposed to serve as the administrative center of post-liberation Korea, showing a complex overlap between colonial legacy and the early development of modern Korean governance.

3) Identify at least one question, concern, or discussion angle

Among the grammar edits I made, several involved choosing between regionally different but grammatically correct English expressions. These include changes like “afterwards” to “afterward”, “night time” to “nighttime”, and “a number of” to “several”. These edits raise a broader question: should Wikipedia aim for a specific variety of English (e.g., American vs. British) or prioritize consistency and clarity, especially when the topic is about a non-English cultural subject like Gyeongbokgung?