A temporary palace, called haenggung in Korean, refers to a temporary residence used by a king when he was not at the main palace in the royal capital. During the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), several temporary palaces were built across the country, among which the temporary palace at Hwaseong Fortress was the largest.
In 1789, King Jeongjo (r. 1776-1800) began the construction of a new walled city at the foot of Paldalsan Mountain following the relocation of his father Prince Sado's tomb from Yangju (present-day Hwigyeong-dong, Seoul) to Suwon. Within the walled city, a temporary palace was built to serve as the local government office of the newly established Suwon-bu District during regular times and as a royal residence during the king's visits. In 1795, King Jeongjo held a banquet at the temporary palace to celebrate the sixtieth birthday of his mother Lady Hyegyeong. The construction of the entire complex was completed the following year in 1796. In total, King Jeongjo visited the temporary palace 13 times during and after its construction. Following the king's death in 1800, processions to Prince Sado's tomb continued to be practiced by other kings. Thus, the temporary palace retained its function until the end of the nineteenth century. However, in 1911 during the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945), the palace buildings were either demolished or remodeled to build a hospital and a police station.
The reconstruction of the temporary palace began in 1994 with archaeological excavations of the area.
The reconstruction, which was overseen by the City of Suwon, was completed based on the archaeological findings, together with the Royal Protocol of the Construction of Hwaseong Fortress, which dates to the time of the palace's construction. The central part of the palace was completed in 2002, while Uhwagwan Guesthouse and the area around the detached kitchen were completed in 2023. Several buildings and enclosure walls that could not be confirmed during the excavations were not reconstructed.