Face of Gwanghwamun to be unveiled Aug. 15

Gwanghwamun will be officially open to the public on Aug. 15, Liberation Day. The restoration of the gate in downtown Seoul began in 2006. /Korea Times file

By Chung Ah-young

Gwanghwamun, the main entrance to Gyeongbok Palace, will restore its grandeur as the symbolic landmark at the heart of the city.
The gate will be unveiled on Aug. 15, Liberation Day, to mark the 100th anniversary of Japan’s forced annexation of Korea after some three-years of reconstruction that began in October 2006. It was also 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), but was burnt down during the Japanese invasion in the late 16th century. The gate was reconstructed in the reign of King Gojong in 1865, but Japanese Imperialists moved the building to the north of Geonchunmun, the east gate of the palace, when the headquarters of the Japanese Government-General in Korea was built right behind Gwanghwamun in the 1920s. The gate was destroyed again during the Korean War (1950-53) and rebuilt using concrete, instead of wood, in 1968. It 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 will recover its original location and shape that was reconstructed in 1865. The gate will be placed directly in line with Heungnyemun (the first gate inside the palace wall at the front) and Geunjeongjeon (the main throne hall).

Based on the excavation investigation and historical research, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) has reconstructed the gate wiat the cost of some 28 billion won and 181,075 pine trees and 26,185 roofing tiles.

The gate was originally planned to be finished by December this year but the government has decided to open the gate before the G20 Summit slated for November.

Grand finale of Gwanghwamun restoration project

The completion of Gwanghwamun is expected to mark the grand finale of the 20-year restoration project of Gyeongbok Palace since 1990.

Along with the restored gate, the palace’s other buildings will also be returned to their original shape. To conduct the decades-long restoration, the government divided the project by area.

In 1990-95, the living quarters for the kings and queens were restored, while in 1994-99, Donggung, the Crown Prince’s compound, was renovated.

In 1996-2001, Heungnyemun was rebuilt, while since 2001, Gwanghwamun and other buildings have been reconstructed.
The recent restoration project was seen as the second “grand reconstruction” of the palace, restoring it to its original form, close to that seen during the reign of King Gojong.
On Aug. 15, not only Gwanghwamun but also other structures including Gyeonghoeru and Geoncheonggung will be revealed to the public.
Gyeonghoeru, designated as National Treasure No. 224, which was built on the pond west of Gangnyeongjeon, the king’s living quarters, was a pavilion for royal feasts and banquets for foreign envoys or court officials. It has been shut to the public for safety reasons since March 2008.
Geoncheonggung was built in 1873 (the 10th year of King Gojong) five years after Gyeongbok Palace was rebuilt. Located in a secluded place in the northernmost part of the palace, it was designed for the king and the queen to enjoy peace and tranquility.

Geoncheonggung is a tragic place as Empress Myeongsung was assassinated there by the Japanese in 1895. It’s the first time for the residence that was restored in 2007 to be open to the public. The administration will display a royal chair and some 300 other pieces of furniture used by the king and the queen.

The opening of Gyeonghoeru and Geoncheonggung will continue into October on a reservation basis to protect the historical assets. The two structures will fully reopen in April next year.

Plaque

The plaque of Gwanghwamun has also been restored to the original form when Gyeongbok Palace was rebuilt in 1865.
Hanging over the gate’s entrance, the signboard has been re-created based on the lettering by Im Tae-young, a general who was in charge of the rebuilding during the reign of King Gojong.

“Gakjajang” or calligraphic engraving master Oh Ok-jin, designated as Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 106, inscribed the letters and Yang Yong-ho, “dancheong” (traditional coloring) master, painted the board in a traditional way. However, from 1968 to 2006, the signboard written in hangeul by President Park Chung-hee was hung at the gate. Some hangeul advocate groups argue that the new gate should bear Korean characters. However, the administration has stuck to keeping Chinese characters to restore the original form of the gate.

Behind the scenes

Head carpenter Shin Eung-soo has dedicated 20 years to restoring the palace. When he first took the helm of the restoration team, he was 50. Designated as Intangible Cultural Property No. 74 in 1991, the master has been responsible for every process in repairing the wood-structured buildings, from cutting the wood, trimming the lumber and designing the structure, to supervising the entire process of the reconstruction, working with other master craftsmen such as tilers, stone carvers and painters. He is also the head carpenter for reconstructing Sungnyemun, National Treasure No. 1 that was burned down by an arsonist in 2008.