 A traditional ritual of opening Gwanghwamun to the public, which was renovated after three years and eight months, gets underway as part of a ceremony for the 65th anniversary of Liberation Day in front of the palace gate, Sunday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
By Chung Ah-young
One of the nation’s foremost landmarks, Gwanghwamun, the main entrance to Gyeongbok Palace, which was hidden during its restoration, has finally been unveiled for the first time after a three-year-and-eight month renovation.
The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) officially opened the gate to the public Sunday with an unveiling ritual for the name plaque on the gate’s facade as part of a ceremony for the 65th anniversary of Liberation Day at Gwanghwamun Square in front of the palace gate.
The signboard decorated with flamboyant “dancheong” (traditional coloring) and Chinese characters reading “Gwanghwamun” with a strong stroke on a white backdrop added to the grandeur of the restored gate.
Based on the lettering by Im Tae-young, a general who was in charge of the rebuilding during the reign of King Gojong, the plaque was re-created by “gakjajang,” or calligraphic engraving master Oh Ok-jin, designated as Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 106, while Yang Yong-ho, a “dancheong” master, painted the board in a traditional manner.
During the ceremony, a large screen displayed historical images of the gate from the 1900s, the colonial period (1910-45), the Korean War (1950-53) and the 1968 reconstruction to the recent restoration process.
“As the main gate of Gyeongbok Palace, Joseon’s royal palace, the restoration of Gwanghwamun means the restoration of one of Korea’s historical icons. It will heighten national pride and historical awareness as it has been restored in its original location and direction and the gate tower has been reconstructed with wood,” Yi Kun-moo, head of the CHA, said.
The CHA said that the restoration project has completed the reconstruction of 125 buildings within the palace that was originally made up of 500 buildings in the reign of King Gojong. “We will continue the second restoration project to reconstruct other buildings to make the palace equivalent to that of Gojong’s reign,” said Yi.
The restoration began in October 2006 as part of the Gyeongbok Palace restoration project that started in 1990.
Gwanghwamun was first built in 1395, the fourth year of King Taejo of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). It was destroyed during the Japanese invasion in the late 16th century and reconstructed in the reign of King Gojong in 1865. The Japanese shifted the building’s location to the north of Geonchunmun, the east gate of the palace, as the Japanese Government-General in Korea was constructed right behind Gwanghwamun in the 1920s.
The gate was destroyed again during the Korean War but rebuilt as a concrete structure in 1968, along with the signboard written in hangeul (the Korean alphabet) by former President Park Chung-hee. The location was also moved 11.2 meters to the north and 13.5 meters to the east and also rotated 3.75 degrees.
The new gate has recovered the original location and shape that was rebuilt in 1865. The structure is now in place directly in line with Heungnyemun (the first gate inside the palace wall at the front) and Geunjeongjeon (the main throne hall).
The gate has been rebuilt as a double-roofed pavilion over three arched openings set in a high stone foundation.
The gate restoration project was completed at the cost of some 28 billion won and used 181,075 pine trees and 26,185 roofing tiles under the supervision of head carpenter Shin Eung-soo, designated as Intangible Cultural Property No. 74.
Along with the restored gate, the palace’s other buildings have been returned to their original shape and are also opened to the public.
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