[National Treasure No.1] Namdaemun

Sungnyemun (Gate of Exalted Ceremonies) is the formal name of the Choson period gate more popularly known as Namdaemun, (Great South Gate).

The history of this gate, South Korean National Treasure No. 1, begins in 1395 when King Taejo overthrew the last Koryo king and established the Choson dynasty. King Taejo decided to move the capital from Song-do (now modern-day Kaesong), the ancient seat of the royal court of the Koryo dynasty, to Hanyang (now modern-day Seoul). One reason King Taejo favored Hanyang as the site of the new capital city was because of the geomantic theories of pung-su (Ch. feng shui) whose practitioners told the king that the land around Hanyang was a propitious site for the newly established dynasty.

Construction of 20-foot high walls around the new capital began in 1395. The city fortress followed the typical Korean convention of having four main gates built around the cardinal directions. Four smaller gates were built in between the main gates. Completed in 1398, Namdaemun was the oldest surviving wooden structure in Seoul until an arsonist torched the gate on February 10th, 2008.

The tragedy of the destruction of the ancient gate should serve as an important reminder to the government that more must be done to protect the many historical buildings in Korea which are made from wood. However, it should be noted that many wooden structures in East Asia are renovated when old wood becomes damaged by parasites or weakened with age. In fact, UNESCO, the United Nations organization in charge of World Heritage Sites accepts the authenticity of repaired buildings which use new wood so long as the building maintains its original form. Although Namdaemun still contained some 610-year old timbers before the arson, most of the wood from the two-tiered pagoda-like structure on top of the granite base were probably from the more recent renovations and repairs which are recorded to have occurred in 1447, 1479, and 1961-1963.

Too few traditional wooden structures in have survived in Korea after the Japanese invasions during the 1592 to 1598 Imjin War. At the very least, more should be done to ensure those very rare Koryo era and early Choson era buildings that have survived be protected against very modern dangers.