Visitors to Seoul, South Korea, will find that one of the iconic sights of the city is the Sungnyemun Gate, also known as Namdaemun Gate. This impressive sight is a remanent from the era when Seoul was a walled city with strong stone walls encircling the ancient royal city.
Now, the Sungnyemun Gate stands by itself. The old city walls to its left and right have been removed to make way for Seoul’s expansion and development. They were taken away in 1899 to facilitate the building of a streetcar line but the impressive Sungnyemun Gate / Namdaemun Gate still remains.
If you are wondering why the gate has two names, that’s because its official and formal name is Sungnyemun. The “mun” at the end of Sungnyemun means gate but help non-Korean speakers identify it easier, it is common to call it Sungnyemun Gate.
Sungnyemun is also commonly referred to as Namdaemun. This is the more colloquial name for the gate. Similarly, it is also often referred to as Namdaemun Gate to make it easier for English speakers to identify it as one of the old city gates.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, here are some interesting facts that you should know about Sungnyemun Gate / Namdaemun Gate.
Interesting Facts about Sungnyemun Gate / Namdaemun Gate in Seoul
Korean National Treasure No. 1
Sungnyemun Gate is designated Korean National Treasure No. 1.
It first received this designation from the Japanese occupation government in Korea when they first drafted the list of Korean cultural treasures in 1934. This was again confirmed on December 1962 when the South Korean government drew up its own list of National Treasures.
Construction on the original gate began in 1395 and was finished in 1398 during the reign of King Taejo. King Sejong then tore it down and rebuilt it in 1447. It was again renovated in 1479 under King Seongjong.
It managed to survive the Japanese invasion in the late 16th century.
It was one of Seoul has four large gates. There were five other minor gates at the city walls.
During the Korean War of 1950 to 1953, the gate was damaged by bombing and fighting. Repair works were carried out in 1956. It was reconstructed again in 1962. The sections that were reconstructed included the stone embankment and the wooden pavilion.
Meaning of the Gate’s Name
The meaning of Sungnyemun translates to “the gate of exalted ceremonies”. The reason why it received this name was because this was where ancient, traditional Korean ceremonies have been performed.
In ancient times, this was also the gate where foreign officials would make their way into the walled city formerly known as Hanyang. It was an area to greet and send off officials sent by the Chinese
Sungnyemun Gate was also the gate from which the Joseon kings would send out their troops.
It is also known as Namdaemun, or the Great South Gate. This was a colloquial or more commonly used name for the gate because of its geographical position on the city walls.
Beside the gate, a market sprung up. This area became a center of trade inside the city’s walls. This was the origins of the present day Namdaemun Market, where you can still find shops and trading stores.
Oldest Wooden Structure in Seoul
Sungnyemun was made of wood and stone with a two-tiered, pagoda-shaped tiled roof and served as the main southern entrance to Hanyang as Seoul was called at that time.
The gate has a two-storey wooden pavilion and a granite stonework base with a half-round arch in the middle.
It is five kan wide at the front and two kan wide on the side and it has a hipped roof.
The gate is a significant representative of early Joseon architectural style, so called ‘Dapo’ style.
The gate has been a symbol of Korean cultural heritage and a source of national pride.
Arson Attack in 2008
Sungnyemun Gate was partially destroyed by an arson attack in 2008. This resulted in the gate being closed off due to the destruction caused by the fire.
A 69-year-old man Chae Jong-gi poured paint thinner on the floor of the wooden upper structure and set it ablaze.
The fire was first reported on Sunday, February 10 2008 in the evening at around 8.45 pm. It was the last day of the Lunar New Year holidays. By late Sunday night, firefighters thought that they had contained the fire but it then raged out of control again after midnight. The five hour blaze, which lasted from 8.45 pm till 2 am, but the gate down to its foundations and destroyed the gate.
More than 360 firefighters were involved in battling the blaze.
After the fire, on May 20th, 2008, the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea announced a five years reconstruction plan for Sungnyemun.
Chae Jong-gi said he committed the act out of anger with authorities for ignoring him when he had made a petition against developers who did not pay him in full for land he sold to them.
Amazingly, this was Chae’s second act of arson. In April 2006, he was given an 18-month prison term, for starting a fire that demolished part of Changgyeong Palace in Seoul, a World Heritage site.
For his act, Chae was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
It took five years to reconstruct the gate. Finally in 2013, the gate was restored and reopened to the public again. Look closely and you will notice that there are two different shades of stones. The older and original stones are darker because of their age while the new stones are brighter or whitish.
Visiting Sungnyemun Gate / Namdaemun Gate
Over the years, Seoul has expanded far beyond its original city walls. Sungnyemun gate can now be found in the center of Seoul.
Once it would have been the tallest structure around but it now finds itself dwarfed by tall modern buildings.
If you wish to pay it a visit, you can also visit the Namdaemun Market, a traditional market located just beside the gate that opened in 1964. It is also not too far away from the Myeongdong shopping district and from where you can take the N Seoul Tower cable car up to the top of the Namsan Mountain.
Sungnyemun Gate is open from 9 am to 6 pm but you can view it at anytime and we think it is pretty spectacular when lit up at night.
Sungnyemun Gate Address: 40 Sejong-daero, Namdaemunno 4(sa)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
