By Choe Chong-dae

My office is in downtown Seoul. I have worked there for decades. Every day, I pass Namdaemun (South Gate) area and Namdaemun used to inspire me with its aura of mystery and fascinate me with its 600 years of age, which overlap with 600 years of Korean cultural history. There is the old saying, ``Don't mention Seoul without mentioning Namdaemun." Thus, Namdaemun has been essentially identical with Seoul.

Nearly two months ago, on Feb 10 to be precise, Namdaemun, also called Sungnyemun, was burned to ashes ― by arson. Ever since, a stream of people from all over Korea, and of all ages, gender and status, and even foreigners have visited the gutted Namdaemun to pay their respects to the devastated cultural heritage. The collapse of Namdaemun was not the mere loss of an old building but the total loss of a valuable tangible cultural asset that preserved our ancestors' identity and wisdom. Consequently, our sense of panic and frustration over the loss of the precious cultural heritage is a national pain.

Namdaemun is one of the four gates in the fortress walls that surrounded the capital during the Joseon Dynasty for the sake of the new kingdom's security. It has stood at the heart of the city and was designated a national treasure. It has served as the city's ceremonial gateway since it was built in 1398. The ornate two story wooden building atop the six-centuries-old stone gate was the oldest wooden structure in Korea.

The tragic Namdaemun's destruction by fire took place less than three years after another fire, which caused devastation to one of South Korea's oldest Buddhist temples, Naksan Temple in Gangwon Province. The temple's wooden pavilion building was destroyed and its 15th-century bronze bell was melted (National Treasure No. 479.) Additionally, the Seojangdae Gate at Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, put on the World Cultural Heritage list by UNESCO was burned down by a drunken arsonist in May 2006.

The tragic collapse of Namdaemun was human caused. The government's incompetence, irresponsibility and negligence all contributed to it being allowed to occur; but no official has yet taken responsibility! And what is even more infuriating is that a large amount of the blackened wood, roof tiles and other bubbles of the 600-year-old gate were discarded as waste soon after the destruction by fire. This is just incredible, horrible and unimaginable. It is a great shame.

It is standard practice in archaeology to collect and preserve everything that is found; even a single piece of burnt wood or the minutest shard that archaeologists find during excavation work is properly kept and documented. The officials in charge of the Namdaemun disaster obviously were not at all aware or sensitive to the value of the disposed shards of tile; even though they show the beauty and high technology of Korean craftsmen of the past. I was really flabbergasted to hear the comments by officials of the Cultural Heritage Administration. They said it would take only a few years to complete the reconstruction of Namdaemun to its original form. The rebuilding of Namdaemun does not involve the simple construction work of a modern building ― it needs thorough research and extensive scientific investigation.

We can look to the Japanese to provide a good lesson here: the main pavilion of the Horyuji Temple, the oldest wooden building in the world, (built in 607) in Nara city, Japan was burned by fire in 1949. Afterwards, the Golden Pavilion of the Gingaku-ji temple was burned by an arsonist in 1950. (Coincidently, the Gingaku-ji temple was built in 1398, the same year as Namdaemun's construction). Both temples are Japanese national treasures, and both were renovated in 1955 based on comprehensive research. Although six decades have passed since the fire incident on above mentioned cultural heritages, no fires have broken out since then on valuable cultural properties in Japan due to proper fire prevention measures and security systems.

Namdaemun was first opened to the public in 2006 without appropriate precautions. We accuse the related government authorities of allowing public to enter Namdaemun freely.

Let me add another related concern of mine. It is reported that the National Museum of Korea, which is among the six largest museums in the world ― will abolish admission charges starting on April. And this is to allow more people to enjoy the museum's collection, or so it is said. I am deeply concerned about the security systems at the museum; no museum is immune to fire. Nor is it immune to arsonists! Among the leading museums in the world, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C and the British Museum in London allow free admission for all visitors. However, these museums have up to standard fire prevention and security systems. Having visited the Smithsonian Institution a couple of years ago, to my surprise, I experienced a fire protection exercise while there.

Our precious surviving cultural heritage is not only a gift, which we have inherited from those who went before us, but also something we borrow temporarily from our descendants. It is our duty to hand it down to future generations in good condition. We, therefore, should take extensive precautions to better preserve valuable cultural assets that contain our ancestors' sacred spirits in order to prevent the recurrence of such a tragedy as the Namdemun incident.

Choe Chong-dae is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and the Korean representative for Compagnie Cotonniere of Paris, France. He is also a long time director of Korean-Swedish Association. He can be reached at dkic98@chol.com.