Korea's oldest pagoda unveiled after 20 yrs of restoration

This photo provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) shows Mireuksaji Seoktap in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, in 1910. Yonhap

A 20-year restoration effort for South Korea's oldest and biggest stone pagoda, Mireuksaji Seoktap, has nearly been completed, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Wednesday.

The pagoda in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, is believed to have been built by King Mu, the 30th king of Baekje, who was in power 600-641 AD. Consisting of 2,800 stones, it is considered crucial in understanding the architectural style of the time.

The structure lost its original appearance in 1915 when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule following a poor restoration job involving cement.

In 1999, the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage under the CHA concluded that the stone pagoda, National Treasure No. 11, was in serious need of restoration.

The repairs started in October 2001 and the dismantlement of the pagoda alone took nearly 10 years, making it the subject of the country's longest restoration work for a single cultural heritage item.

While dismantling the pagoda in January 2009, a container for "sarira," the crystalline traces that remain after a honored Buddhist's body is cremated, was found inside a stone pillar, providing an important insight into the date of the pagoda's construction and its historic background.

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage will unveil the restored pagoda to local media later in the day. (Yonhap)

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