Gwanghwamun
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| Gwanghwamun | |
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| Korean name | |
| Hangul: |
광화문
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| Hanja: | |
| Revised Romanization: | Gwanghwamun |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Kwangwhamun |
Gwanghwamun is a landmark in central Seoul, South Korea, built in 1395. It is a large gate that stands in front of Gyeongbok Palace. The gate has gone through periods of destruction and disrepair, but in the time periods which it was physically standing, it was a landmark that could be justly labeled as the hub of Seoul.
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[edit] History
Gwanghwamun was constructed in 1395 to signify the start of the new Yi Dynasty. In the 1592 Japanese Invasion, it was destroyed completely by the Japanese. King Gojong rebuilt it in 1867 along with the rest of the palace. It stood until 1926, during the Japanese occupation of Korea, when it was moved to the current location at the National Folk Museum of Korea to make way for the massive Japanese Governor General Building. After the liberation from Japan and the Korean war, Gwanghwamun lay in complete disrepair. In 1963 it was rebuilt by Park Chung Hee's administration in its current location. The sign on Gwanghwamun was painted by Park himself. Gwanghwamun remained in that state until late 2006.
[edit] Renovation
Gwanghwamun is currently undergoing renovation, which started in December 2006, It is being disassembled and moved back to its original location 14.5 meters to the south. It will also be rotated in order to realign the center of the gate with the main hall of Gyeongbok Palace. These renovations were started because the 1963 rendition of Gwanghwamun had been built with its center aligned with the front door of the Governor General Building. That building was removed in 1996. The current aim of the renovation is to complete the task of erasing any evidence of the Governor General building having been on the site. Gwanghwamun is scheduled to be completely disassembled in May 2007, and completely reconstructed by 2009, along with a park and plaza for citizens and tourists.
