Bell Joins in Campaign for Restoring Sungnyemun
By Kim Yon-se, Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporters
U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander General B.B. Bell has made a personal donation for the restoration of Sungnyemun, Korea's National Treasure No. 1, which was destroyed in a fire last month.
Bell sent a check for $1,000 to the Hankook Ilbo, sister paper of The Korea Times, which is leading a campaign for the restoration.
In his letter, the general said, ``The Republic of Korea is blessed with many historic and beautiful monuments, and it is my distinct privilege to make a contribution to the `Let's Restore Sungnyemun' campaign.''
He said, ``I know the campaign will be extremely successful and bring together the Korean and international communities that live and work in the greater metropolitan Seoul area.''
Sungnyemun, also called Namdaemun, located in central Seoul, used to be one of the gates to Hanyang, Seoul's old name, during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).
The general, who is to retire in the near future, also said, ``My wife and I hope to return to Korea after our retirement when the gate is rebuilt and enjoy its brilliance once again.''
In an e-mail interview with the Hankook Ilbo, Bell said that he was deeply saddened by the destruction of the gate.
He said he and wife felt that a great symbol of Korean history was gone forever.
``We looked at each other and agreed that the Korean people would certainly rebuild the gate as an exact replica of the original,'' he said. ``We agreed that it was our duty to help by making a contribution to its reconstruction.''
Mentioning his visit to the gate with his brother-in-law and wife on their visit to Korea last November, Bell said, `` We felt a great sense of history when we stood in front of the gate.''
The general added that they knew it had stood in Seoul for hundreds of years and was a symbol of Korean pride and culture.