Should Gwanghwamun nameboard be remade?

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Shin Eung-soo, the master carpenter who contributed to the restoration of Gwanghwamun, said he would like to make a new nameboard to replace the current one on the landmark gate at his own expense.

The restoration of Gwanghwamun, the main gate to Gyeongbok Palace, was completed on August 15, but last week cracks in the board were found, raising allegations of shoddy reconstruction. There are several cracks on the pine name-board, the largest one visible on the left side of the character for “gwang.”

“Whatever the cause of the cracks is, whoever to blame for the damage is, I feel deeply responsible as head carpenter for the cracked condition of the name-board,” Shin was quoted by Yonhap News as saying.

He said if the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), which supervised the restoration, agrees, he wants to make a new board at his own expense. “I provided the Korean pine for the name-board and it was my fault to ignore that such cracking could take place,” the master carpenter said.

However, the CHA has not accepted Shin’s offer, concluding that the cracks were caused by the natural characteristics of Korean pine used to make the name-board in response to drastic temperature changes.

“Even if he started to make the new board right away, it wouldn’t be finished until next spring at the earliest considering the lengthy drying process,” a CHA official said. “We will first examine the current board and decide whether to repair it or replace it later.”

신응수 대목장, “광화문 현판 다시 만들겠다”

광화문 복원을 담당한 신응수 대목장이 금이 간 현판을 자비를 들여서라도 다시 제작하고 싶다고 말했다.

경복궁 앞에 위치한 광화문은 한국의 대표적인 문화재로 지난 8월 15일 복원이 완공됐으나 지난 주 현판에서 균열이 간 것이 발견돼 부실공사 논란을 빚고 있다. 소나무로 된 현판에는 여러 개의 균열이 생겼으며, 그 중 가장 큰 것은 "광"자의 왼쪽에 있으며 육안으로도 구분할 수 있다.

신 대목장은 "경위야 어떻든, 책임 소재가 어디에 있건 관계없이, 현판에 균열 현상이 일어난 데 대해 대목장이자 도편수로서 책임을 통감한다" 면서 "여건만 허락하고 문화재청이 동의한다면 내가 새로 현판을 만들어 걸고 싶다"고 말했다.

하지만 복원을 총괄한 문화재청은 현판의 균열은 소나무의 자연스러운 특성으로 인해 생긴 현상이라며 신 대목장의 제안에 난색을 표했다.