Gwanghwamun
Korean name
Hangul	광화문
Hanja	光化門
Revised Romanization	Gwanghwamun
McCune–Reischauer	Kwanghwamun

This article contains Korean text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul or Hanja.

Gwanghwamun (Hangul: 광화문; Hanja: 光化門) is the main and largest gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, located in Seoul, South Korea. As a landmark and symbol of Seoul's long history as the capital city during the Joseon Dynasty, the gate has gone through multiple periods of destruction and disrepair. Recent restoration work on the gate was finished and revealed to the public on August 15, 2010.^[1]

History[link]

Gwanghwamun was first constructed in 1395 as the main gate to Gyeongbokgung Palace, the main and most important royal palace during the Joseon Dynasty. During the 1592 Japanese Invasion, it was destroyed by fire and left in ruins for over 250 years.^[2][3]

Concrete Gwanghwamun with the Japanese Governor General Building, which stood until 1996.

Gwanghwamun was reconstructed in 1867 along with the rest of Gyeongbokgung Palace by the order of regent Daewongun during the reign of Emperor Gojong. The gate stood until 1926, when the Japanese government had it deconstructed and moved it just to the southeast of the current location of the National Folk Museum of Korea to make way for the massive Japanese Governor General Building.

The Korean war completely destroyed the wooden structure of Gwanghwamun, and its stone base lay in complete disrepair and neglect. In 1963, during Park Chung-hee's administration, the stone base was again relocated in front of the Japanese Governor General Building. The destroyed wooden structure was rebuilt in concrete, while the sign on Gwanghwamun was written by Park himself. Gwanghwamun remained as a concrete gate until late 2006.

Restoration[link]

Gwanghwamun underwent a major restoration project since December 2006 and was finished in August 2010. The gate was disassembled and moved back to its original location 14.5 meters to the south, and its wooden structure was again reconstructed in wood. It was rotated in order to accurately place the gate to its original location, which perfectly aligns it with the main north-south axis of Gyeongbokgung Palace. The restoration was commenced by the Korean government because an earlier restoration employed concrete instead of traditional materials and wrongly aligned the gate to the entrance of the Governor General Building, now destroyed.

The aim of the latest renovation was to restore Gwanghwamun to its original wooden construction while paying meticulous attention to historical accuracy. The name plate of Gwanghwamun was recreated by analyzing its century-old glass plate photographs, while its wooden structure was devised from a blueprint created in 1925 by the Japanese Colonial Government. Pine wood used in the construction was painstakingly selected in Korea as the use of foreign imported wood for recreating Korea's historic buildings was strictly forbidden.

The area in front of Gwanghwamun, known as the Gwanghwamun Square, was opened with a new plaza area in August 2009.^[4]

Gwanghwamun was opened to the public on August 15, 2010 to commemorate Gwangbokjeol. The project cost 28 billion won, or approximately $24 million.^[5] A new name plate on the restored Gwanghwamun was unveiled on the same day. However, cracks in the wooden plate were showing by early November, citing that the work was rushed and the wood had not dried properly.^[6] After many debates, a repair to the cracks was made, and the Government commissioned a new name plate. 13 wooden boards for the new signboard were cut in September 2011 and have since undergone a natural drying process in Gangwon Province. However in a survey of 5,000 people conducted by the Cultural Heritage Administration, 58.7 percent responded that the inscription should be in Hangul while 41.3 percent opted Hanja but the long-lost 1395 original was in Hanja. A majority of experts consulted thought the sign should be carved as the original had been.^[7]

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gwanghwamun

• Japanese General Government Building, Seoul
• Gyeongbok Palace
• Gwanghwamun Station

References[link]

External links[link]

• Streetwise in Seoul: Restoring Gwanghwamun
• Gwanghwamun Plaza : Official Seoul City Tourism

Coordinates: 37°34′33.76″N 126°58′37.27″E / 37.5760444°N 126.9770194°E / 37.5760444; 126.9770194