Cover Story

Sungnyemun Gate


On May 4, Sungnyemun Gate, the No.1 National Treasure of Korea, returned. Sungnyemun Gate was damaged by fire in 2008, and the restoration work continued for five years and three months. Sungnyemun has a long history. Because of its long history, Sungnyemun is important to us. Therefore, we’ll look at the history and value of Sungnyemun.

The construction and repair of Sungnyemun Gate

Sungnyemun Gate is the south gate of Seoul and was built by the first king of the Joseon Dynasty. When Joseon was founded, Seoul was chosen as the capital. The construction of Sungnyemun Gate started in January 1396 and finished on February 8, 1398.
Since then, Sungnyemun Gate had been repaired five times. First, in July 1433, King Sejong thought that the first Sungnyemun Gate was built on a flat site, so he raised the height of the gate. In June 1479, because the eaves and the roof were leaning, the gate was repaired by King Seongjong. In September 1868, Sungnyemun Gate was repaired to strengthen royal authority. At that time, King Gojong was very young, and Heungseon Daewongun acted as regent from 1863 to 1873. He decided to rebuild Kyungbok palace and to strengthen royal authority. He also decided to repair Sungnyemun.

Sungnyemun Gate underwent a change in the late Joseon Dynasty. In December 1898, a tramway from Jongno to Yongsan was made, so a tramway through Sungnyemun Gate was built. In 1904, another tramway from Sungnyemun Gate to Seodaemun was built. As a result, Sungnyemun Gate became a crowded street with people, carriages, horses, and trams. In 1910, because of this complex traffic, the tramway was moved to Sungnyemun’s right and left and the city wall was removed.
However, removing the city wall had another meaning. At this time, Joseon was under the control of Japan. Removing the city wall and changing the gate meant that the Joseon Dynasty had no real power anymore. Before Joseon was under the control of Japan, there was a strict status system. Therefore, only upper class people could pass through Sungnyemun. However, because of the removal of this restriction, all people could pass through Sungnyemun. Therefore, the status system of the Joseon Dynasty had no influence.
In 1910, the pond in front of Sungnyemun Gate was removed by Japan. This pond’s function was to prevent a fire. During the Japanese colonial era, Sungnyemun Gate was used as an exhibition area, and streetlights were installed on the stonework around Sungnyemun Gate.

During the Korean War, Sungnyemun Gate was seriously damaged. Therefore, from April to September 1953, urgent repairs were carried out. However, because at this time the whole building was not disassembled and only some damaged parts were repaired, later there were problems. Over time, the rafters became twisted and the eaves bent, so a fundamental repair was needed. However, after the Korean War, social conditions were very unstable, and it was not easy to get funds for the repair. However, in 1961, the repair of Sungnyemun Gate started.

On February 2, 2008, Sungnyemun Gate was seriously damaged by a person who had complaints about personal land compensation. After the fire, there were many issues about the weak management system of Sungnyemun Gate and why the fire was not extinguished quickly. 90 percent of the lower floor was left, but 90 percent of the upper floor was damaged.

The restoration of Sungnyemun Gate

After the fire, the public wanted to restore Sungnyemun Gate. Traditional methods were followed. Master craftsmen were selected to participate in the restoration, and natural stone was used. Also, because the timbers were destroyed by the fire, timber had to be provided. Fortunately, the public donated pine for the damaged part. Furthermore, the roof tiles were made by the traditional method.

Looking at the restoration of Sungnyemun Gate, we can learn a lesson about our cultural assets. Because Sungnyemun Gate is the No.1 National Treasure of Korea, it conveys an important and historical meaning. The government and the public have to carefully manage our cultural assets.

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