By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff reporter
The statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin standing guard at Gwanghwamun Plaza in downtown Seoul will receive a major restoration, 42 years after it was erected.
Seoul City announced Monday that it will put reinforcement struts inside the cast statue to strengthen it. The statue was originally erected in 1968 by well-known sculptor Kim Se-Jung.
Admiral Yi is one of the representative heroes in Korean history. A naval commander during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), he was famous for his victories against the Japanese in the 16th century.
The city took a close look at the interior of the hollow statue and collected information from people who worked on it in 1968 to come up with the overhaul plan.
After an endoscopic check, experts suggested setting up a vertical strut as a backbone and installing horizontal supports in a zigzag shape.
The city will also repair the foundation and other adornments such as the turtle ship devised by the admiral.
It has yet to decide whether to restore the statue on site or to transfer it to a factory.
The work will begin after the G-20 summit in November and is planned to be completed by the end of the year.