Namdaemun

This article is about the gate known as Namdaemun. For the nearby market, see Namdaemun Market.

Coordinates: 37°33′35″N 126°58′31″E / 37.55972°N 126.97528°E / 37.55972; 126.97528

Namdaemun Sungnyemun
Namdaemun before the fire.
Korean name
Hangul	숭례문 / 남대문
Hanja	崇禮門 / 南大門
Revised Romanization	Sungnyemun/Namdaemun
McCune–Reischauer	Sungryemun/Namdaemun

Namdaemun, officially the Sungnyemun, is a historic pagoda-style gateway located in the center of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The gate, which was begun in the 14th century, is now listed first among the National Treasures of South Korea. It was once one of the three major gateways through Seoul's city walls which had a stone circuit of 18.2 kilometres (11.3 mi) and stood up to 6.1 metres (20 ft) high.

The gate is located in Jung-gu between Seoul Station and Seoul City Plaza. The historic 24-hour Namdaemun market is next to the gate where it has been operating for centuries.

In 2008, the wooden pagoda atop the gate was severely damaged by arson.^[1] Restoration work on the gateway started in February 2010 and is expected to be completed by December 2012.

Name

The South Korean government, as written in hanja on the wooden structure, officially call the landmark, Sungnyemun, (English: Gate of Exalted Ceremonies) ^[2] even though it has been more commonly known as Namdaemun (English: Great Southern Gate) since the Joseon Dynasty. The disparity is due to the occupation of Korea when the Japanese advocated the name Namdaemun.

In modern Korea, the common name has colonial overtones; a period when Korean identity was forcibly supplanted by Japanese culture. The official name Sungnyemun derives from policy to reclaim Korean heritage from Japanese imperialism. This process has also led to the removal of notable buildings.

History

Sungnyemun in 1904.

Before the 2008 fire, Namdaemun was the oldest wooden structure in Seoul.^[3] The city gate, made of wood and stone with a two-tiered, pagoda-shaped tiled roof, was completed in 1398 and originally used to greet foreign emissaries, control access to the capital city, and keep out Korean tigers, which have long been gone from the area. Construction began in 1395 during the fourth year of the reign of King Taejo of Joseon and was finished in 1398. The structure was rebuilt in 1447 and was renovated several times since.^[3] It was originally one of three main gates, the others being the East Gate (Dongdaemun) and the now-demolished West Gate in the Seodaemun-gu district, named after the old gate.^[4]

In the early part of the 20th century, the city walls that surrounded Seoul were demolished, ostensibly "to make the traffic system more efficient."^[5] A visit to Seoul by the Crown Prince of Japan prompted the demolition of the walls around Namdaemun, as the prince was deemed to be too exalted to pass through the gateway.^[6]

The gate was closed to the public in 1907 after the Japanese colonial authorities constructed an electric tramway nearby. Namdaemun was extensively damaged during the Korean War and was given its last major repair in 1961, with a completion ceremony held on May 14, 1963.^[7] It was given the status of "National Treasure No.1"^[8] on December 20, 1962.

The Gate was renovated again in 2005 with the building of a lawn around the gate, before being opened once again to the public with much fanfare on March 3, 2006.^[9] During the restoration, 182 pages of blueprints for the gate were made as a contingency against any emergencies which may damage the structure.^[10] Three years later, such an emergency arose.

Fire

Main article: 2008 Namdaemun fire

At approximately 8:50 p.m. on February 10, 2008, a fire broke out and severely damaged the wooden structure at the top of the Namdaemun gate. The fire roared out of control again after midnight and finally destroyed the structure, despite the efforts of more than 360 firefighters.^[11] Many witnesses reported seeing a suspicious man shortly before the fire, and two disposable lighters were found where the fire was believed to have started.^[11] A 69-year-old man identified as Chae Jong-gi was arrested on suspicion of arson and then later confessed to the crime.^[12][13][14] A police captain reported that Chae sprayed paint thinner on the floor of the structure and then set fire to it.^[15] Police say that Chae was upset about not being paid in full for land he had sold to developers.^[13] The same man had been charged with setting a fire at Changgyeong Palace in Seoul in 2006.^[16]

• 

  Sungnyemun before the fire in 2008.

• 

  Fire crews fight to save the wooden gateway.

• 

  Aftermath of the Namdaemun fire.

Restoration

The Cultural Heritage Administration of South Korea said that it would undertake a three-year project that would cost an estimated ₩20 billion (approximately $14 million) to rebuild and restore the historic gate.^[17] President Lee Myung-bak proposed starting a private donation campaign to finance the restoration of the structure.^[18]

• 

  Restoration work on July 2008.

See also

• Heunginjimun - the Great East Gate.
• Kinkaku-ji - The Japanese temple was damaged by a monk's arson attack in 1950 and reconstructed in 1956. Rokuon-ji is its formal name.
• Arson

References

1. ^ "S. Korean landmark collapses in fire". Associated Press (CNN). 2008-02-11. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/02/10/skorea.landmark.ap/index.html. ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ Kwang-Tae Kim (2008-02-11). "South Korea arrests man in landmark fire". Associated Press (Yahoo! News). http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080211/ap_on_re_as/skorea_landmark_fire. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Fire ravages South Korea landmark". BBC News. 2008-02-11. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7238210.stm. Retrieved 2008-02-11. 
4. ^ Seth, Michael J (2006). A Concise History of Korea: From The Neolithic Period Through the Nineteenth Century. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 204. 
5. ^ http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2904923
6. ^ Hong Seong-tae (2004). "From Mount Baekak to the Han River: A Road to Colonial Modernization". In LaMarre, Thomas; Kang, Nae-hŭi. Impacts of Modernities. Hong Kong University Press. p. 126. 
7. ^ Rahn, Kim (2008-02-11). "Poor Security Blamed for Gate Burnout". Korea Times. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/117_18720.html. 
8. ^ Shin Hae-in (2008-02-13). "Controversy erupts over fundraising for historic gate". Yonhap News. http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2008/02/13/42/0302000000AEN20080213003400315F.HTML. 
9. ^ Lankov, Andrei (2008-02-11). "Namdaemun Outlived War, Colonialism". Korea Times. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/117_18709.html. 
10. ^ Chung Ah-young (2008-02-11). "Three Years Needed for Restoration". Korea Times. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/113_18722.html. 
11. ^ ^{a b} Kwok, Vivian Wai-yin (2008-02-11). "Korea's Historic Namdaemun Gate Toppled By Fire". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/11/fire-destroys-namdaemun-face-markets-cx_vk_0211autofacescan01.html. 
12. ^ "Man 'confesses to S Korea blaze'". BBC News. 2008-02-12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7240220.stm. 
13. ^ ^{a b} Kim Tae-jong (2008-12-12). "Suspect Admits Arson on Namdaemun". Korea Times. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/113_18767.html. 
14. ^ "Man 'Arsonist Blames President Roh'". Korea Times. 2008-02-14. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/117_18955.html. 
15. ^ "SKorea arsonist in Namdaemun fire had grudge over land dispute: police". Agence France-Presse (Google). 2008-02-12. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h4cfjlM7LVtJSzek6TNEkGbO61KA. 
16. ^ Hyung-Jin Kim (2008-02-11). "Fire destroys South Korean landmark". Associated Press (Yahoo! News). Archived from the original on 2008-02-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20080213091333/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080211/ap_on_re_as/skorea_landmark_fire. Retrieved 2008-02-11. 
17. ^ Choe Sang-Hun (2008-02-12). "South Korean Gate Destroyed in Fire". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/world/asia/12korea.html. 
18. ^ Kim Yon-se (2008-02-12). "Donation for Gate Restoration Proposed". Korea Times. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/116_18782.html. 

External links

• (Korean) Short description of the 8 gates of Seoul