Main gate of the Korean royal palace
Gwanghwamun
(
Korean
:
光化門
;
Hanja
:
光化門
) is the main and largest gate of
Gyeongbok Palace
, in
Jongno-gu
,
Seoul
,
South Korea
. It is located at a three-way intersection at the northern end of
Sejongno
. As a landmark and symbol of
Seoul's long history
as the capital city during the
Joseon Dynasty
, the gate has gone through multiple periods of destruction and disrepair. The most recent large-scale restoration work on the gate was finished and it was opened to the public on August 15, 2010.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
Gwanghwamun was first constructed in 1395 as the main gate to
Gyeongbok Palace
, the main and most important royal palace during the Joseon Dynasty. During the
1592 Japanese invasion
, it was destroyed by fire and left in ruins for over 250 years.
[2]
[3]
Gwanghwamun was reconstructed in 1867 along with the rest of Gyeongbokgung Palace by the order of regent
Daewongun
during the reign of
Emperor Gojong
. The gate stood until 1926, when the
Japanese government
had it deconstructed and moved it just to the southeast of the current location of the
National Folk Museum of Korea
to make way for the massive
Japanese Governor General Building
.
[4]
The
Korean War
completely destroyed the wooden structure of Gwanghwamun, and its stone base lay in complete disrepair and neglect. In 1968, during
Park Chung-hee
's administration, the stone base was again relocated in front of the
Japanese Governor General Building
. The destroyed wooden structure was rebuilt in
concrete
, while the sign on Gwanghwamun was written in
hangul
by Park himself. Gwanghwamun remained as a concrete gate until late 2006.
Restoration
[
edit
]
Gwanghwamun underwent a major restoration project since December 2006
[5]
and was finished in August 2010. The gate was disassembled and moved back to its original location 14.5 meters to the south, and its wooden structure was again reconstructed in wood. It was rotated in order to accurately place the gate to its original location, which perfectly aligns it with the main north-south axis of
Gyeongbokgung Palace
. The restoration was commenced by the
South Korean government
because an earlier restoration employed concrete instead of traditional materials and wrongly aligned the gate to the entrance of the
Governor General Building
, now destroyed.
The aim of the latest renovation was to restore Gwanghwamun to its original wooden construction while paying meticulous attention to historical accuracy. The name plate of Gwanghwamun was recreated by analyzing its century-old glass plate photographs, while its wooden structure was devised from a blueprint created in 1925 by the
Japanese Colonial Government
.
Pine wood
used in the construction was painstakingly selected in Korea as the use of foreign imported wood for recreating Korea's historic buildings was strictly forbidden.
Gwanghwamun was opened to the public on August 15, 2010, to commemorate
Gwangbokjeol
, or
Liberation Day of Korea
.
[6]
The project cost \ 28 billion. A new name plate on the restored Gwanghwamun was unveiled on the same day. The name on the plate was based on
Hanja
lettering by Im Tae-young, the general in charge of the rebuilding programme by
King Gojong of Joseon
, written against a white backdrop framed by
Dancheong
traditional coloring painted by master Yang Yong-ho. The lettering was done by master Oh Ok-jin, using the gakjajang method of calligraphic engraving, a technique designated as
Important Intangible Cultural Property
no 106.
[7]
However, cracks in the wooden plate were showing by early November, where a long vertical crack is visible on the left side of Hanja character "光" and beneath "門" in the middle. The
Cultural Heritage Administration
(CHA) blamed the dry autumn weather for the contraction of the wood, but experts differs on that an immature pine board was used to meet the deadline for completion and that the wood had not dried properly.
[8]
[9]
After many debates, a repair to the cracks was made, and the panel at CHA concluded in December 2010 that it should be replaced,
[10]
hence the Government commissioned a new name plate. 13 wooden boards for the new signboard were cut in September 2011 and have since undergone a natural drying process in
Gangwon Province
. However, in a survey of 5,000 people conducted by the
Cultural Heritage Administration
, 58.7 percent responded that the inscription should be in
Hangul
while 41.3 percent opted
Hanja
. The long-lost 1395 original was written in
Hanja
. A majority of experts consulted thought the sign should be carved as the original had been.
[11]
Tourism
[
edit
]
The area in front of Gwanghwamun, known as the
Gwanghwamun Plaza
, was opened as a public open space on 1 August 2009.
[12]
It is part of the
Seoul Metropolitan Government
's plans for environmentally friendly renovation projects such as the
Cheonggye Stream
and
Seoul Plaza
.
[13]
In a poll of nearly 2,000 foreign visitors conducted by the
Seoul Metropolitan Government
in November 2011, visitors stated that watching the changing of the guards at the main gate as their third favorite activity in Seoul.
[14]
The royal changing of the guard ceremony is held in front of the main gate every hour from 10:00 to 15:00.
[15]
On 23 September 2012, the
Seoul Metropolitan Government
started on a trial basis, a 550-m designated section of
Sejong-ro
as pedestrian-only but permitted for cyclists. The section includes the road from the Gwanghwamun three-way intersection, along
Gwanghwamun Plaza
in front of the
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
to the Sejong-ro intersection.
[16]
Transport
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Restored royal gate Gwanghwamun unveiled,"
Korea Times.
August 15, 2010.
- ^
"Introduction,"
Archived
2011-10-07 at the
Wayback Machine
Gyeongbokgung, the Main Palace of the Joseon Dynasty.
- ^
"Gyeongbok Palace,"
Life in Korea.
- ^
"Short History of Gwanghwamun Gate"
.
The Chosun Ilbo
. 18 March 2004
. Retrieved
8 April
2013
.
- ^
"New Facelift Projects to Focus on Historic Seoul"
.
The Chosun Ilbo
. 24 January 2006
. Retrieved
22 March
2013
.
- ^
"Restored Gwanghwamun to Be Unveiled on Liberation Day"
.
The Chosun Ilbo
. 20 February 2010
. Retrieved
8 April
2013
.
- ^
Chung, Ah-young (15 August 2010).
"Gwanghwamun reveals original beauty"
.
The Korea Times
. Retrieved
27 February
2013
.
- ^
"New Gwanghwamun Signboard Cracks"
.
The Chosun Ilbo
. 4 November 2010
. Retrieved
27 February
2013
.
- ^
Lee, Claire (4 November 2010).
"Gwanghwamun plate was rushed"
.
The Korea Herald
. Retrieved
2012-04-23
.
- ^
"Cracked Gwanghwamun Signboard to Be Replaced"
.
The Chosun Ilbo
. 29 December 2010
. Retrieved
27 February
2013
.
- ^
"Seoul Landmark Restorations to Be Completed This Year"
.
The Chosun Ilbo
. 4 January 2012
. Retrieved
23 April
2012
.
- ^
Kwon, Mee-yoo (1 August 2010).
"Gwanghwamun Square marks 1st anniv"
.
The Korea Times
. Retrieved
27 February
2013
.
- ^
Hoh, Kui-Seek (3 August 2009).
"The road less travelled, by cars"
.
Korea JoongAng Daily
. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013
. Retrieved
27 February
2013
.
{{
cite news
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
"Mt. Nam Tops List of Foreign Tourists' Favorites"
.
The Chosun Ilbo
. 28 November 2011
. Retrieved
23 April
2012
.
- ^
"The 5 Palaces of Seoul"
.
The Chosun Ilbo
. 24 January 2012
. Retrieved
23 April
2012
.
- ^
"Pedestrian Zone Planned for Central Seoul"
.
The Chosun Ilbo
. 21 September 2012
. Retrieved
3 November
2012
.
External links
[
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]
37°34′33.76″N
126°58′37.27″E
/
37.5760444°N 126.9770194°E
/
37.5760444; 126.9770194