What Is the Fate of the South Korean Great Southern Gate - Coursework Example

Introduction On February 10, 2008 in Seoul, South Korea at around mid-night, all the mass media showed breaking-news that captured the national treasure number one on fire. It was an unbelievable disaster and no one wanted to come to terms with it. The name of this gate in Korean is Namdaemun, a name given by the Japanese at the time of their colonization of Korea in order to crush the Korean spirit. The name means the Great Southern Gate although it is increasingly changing its name and is officially known as Sungnyemun, which means gate of exalted ceremonies. On December 20, 1962, the then government exalted it to the position of the country’s national treasure number one. The gate is a brilliant example of the ancient architecture of the Yi Dynasty Empire. After its construction, Namdaemun was the tallest building of them all, towering majestically over the smaller buildings and palaces in the city of Seoul. At present, it struggles for prominence dwarfed by the giant skyscrapers in the fast-paced city. Despite the fact that there are four large gates and five minor gates in Seoul, only Namdaemun has been selected as a National Treasure. It was chosen as South Korea's National Treasure number one because in 1962, when the South Korean government launched the establishment of National Treasures, Namdaemun stood as a sterling paragon of ancient Confucian architecture (Newworldencyclopedia.org, para1). Newworldencyclopedia.org further notes that the Great South Gate, magnificent and striking by the time King Sejong reconstructed it in the 1470s, ushered in all Chinese and Japanese dignitaries on their way to visit the King. That is the only gate through which they could enter. Confucianism had blended into the culture of the Korean society well before the Yi Dynasty but later on, it grew in prominence. Namdaemun thus epitomizes both the supreme power of the Korean empire and the governing place of Confucianism not only in Korean politics, but also in their religion and culture. Seoul, the capital of Korea since the naissance of the Joseon Dynasty circa 1392 C.E. until now, had been a fortified city having nine gates that allowed passage in and out of the city. The founders of the city built four main gates and five minor ones. The four main gates were positioned in the direction of the four cardinal points: North, south, east and west. The south, east and west gates would open at daybreak and shut at the end of the day at the ringing of the city bell. The northern gate remained blocked and was set aside purely to facilitate the king's flight to Pukhan Sansong or more remote buttresses during times of danger. Namdaemun was the "southern gate." Yi T'aejo built all the nine city gates together with the Namdaemun gate during the fourteenth century C.E. The Joseon Dynasty also known as Choson or Chosun was the last ruling dynasty in Korea, reigning from 1392 to 1910 at the start of the Japanese annexation (Spiritus-temporis.com, para1). It was established by the Jeonju Yi family and succeeded the Goryeo dynasty. At the time of the Joseon Dynasty, there existed a centralized system of administration that was predicated on Confucian yangban scholars who served as advisers to the king and comprised most of the class of officers in the imperial army. The spreading of scholarship pertaining to Confucian classics was influenced by a new moral system, as Buddhism's ancient group of scholars underwent a phasing out by a sophisticated urban system premised on prolific travel and information. The Joseon Dynasty also oversaw two periods of significant cultural growth, that saw the Joseon culture creating the foremost Korean Tea Ceremony, Korean Gardens, as well as wide-ranging encyclopedias. Furthermore, the royal dynasty constructed a number of fortresses, ports, trading harbors and even palaces some of which are in existence today (Spiritus-temporis.com, para2). Interestingly, Namdaemun was the oldest surviving wooden construction in Seoul. The building of this gate commenced in 1395 C.E. at the time King Taejo of Joseon was in his fourth year of reign and it was completed in 1398. The king ordered architects to construct Namdaemun facing Kwanak-san as a precautionary measure to prevent the negative effects of the fire energy related to that mountain and shielding the Palace of Kyongbok. However, the fourth king of the Yi Dynasty, King Sejong destroyed the gate and rebuilt it as it had been poorly constructed initially(Newworldencyclopedia.org, para2). In 1447 C.E., Prince Yangnyong, who was the elder brother of King Sejong, created an inscription comprising three Chinese characters (崇禮門) representing the gate. These Chinese characters mean “Gate of Exalted Decorum" and "Admire Virtue Gate" respectively. The inscription vanished in 1592 C.E. in the period of Hideyoshi's incursion of Korea and appeared in a conduit during King Kwanghae’s reign from1609 to1623. King Seongjong further refurbished Namdaemun in the year 1479 C.E., having reigned for ten years. During the reign of Gojong in 1899 C.E., the city walls on both sides of the gate were torn down to create a novel streetcar passage. Around 1907 to 1908, the Japanese colonial government barricaded the gate passageway, ostensibly to facilitate movement of automobiles, pedestrian and streetcars round about the gate. In truth however, it was an impending visit to Seoul by the Crown Prince of Japan that occasioned the demolition of the walls around Namdaemun, since the Japanese prince was considered too dignified to pass through the gateway (Newworldencyclopedia.org, para4). During the Korean War or more commonly the Forgotten War that lasted from 1950 to 1953, the Namdaemun gate suffered considerable damage from heavy bombing. The government-funded reconstruction undertaken in 1956 however, did not manage to refurbish the Gate to safety or its previous grandeur. The city government considered demolishing the monument but decided to renovate the gate in the spring of 1962. When conducting the repairs, a group of workers unveiled records hidden beneath one of the many beams reinforcing the second roof that pointed out the exact date of the original structure to be 1396 C.E. (Hickey, para3). The records further indicated that conscription of 6,817 soldiers from Chonju in Cholla took place that would carry out the construction. The list contained twenty-eight stonecutters, five sculptors, forty-four carpenters, sixty-three riveters as well as 1,400 laborers. The record even gave a meticulous explanation of the festival of the beam-raising celebration that comprised 10,700 bottles of soju a type of Korean liquor made from rice, 3,800 vats of traditional Korean wine locally called takchu and 1,500 cattle heads. Namdaemun is located at the center of a Carrefour between Seoul Station and Seoul City Plaza in Jung-gu town in, Seoul. The gate is an imposing structure that is well built, the beacon of Seoul City for well over 600 years (Newworldencyclopedia.org, para5). The Namdaemun roof takes the shape of a paljak, which is a style of roofing that uses hip rafters joined to the four corners, that curves with elegant poise into two eaves. Such a roof may also be referred to as a pagoda. The image of the phoenix, that signifies the majestic king, is etched into the tiles in the upper roof overhang whereas the image of the dragon that represents the queen is etched into the roofing tiles in the lower overhang. The gatehouse, which was razed to the ground, measured five kan in breadth and two kan in depth a kan representing the distance between pillars (Waymarking.com, para5). On March 3, 2006, for the first time in 100 years, the Great South Gate opened up to the public. Up to 2006, there was heavy movement around Namdaemun that acted more as a guidepost than a monument of significant historical and cultural relevance. Located in one of the busiest carrefours in Seoul, cars still throng around the gate, albeit the drivers hardly have the time to contemplate the monument’s place in Korean history in their day-to-day rush. The Sungnyemun Square that encloses Namdaemun is a beautiful small rounded hill that acts a passageway to Namdaemun market, a twenty-four hour traditional market that has been in operation since 1600s. At present, Sungnyemun Square acts as a pedestrian passageway linking Gwanghwamun, Seoul City Hall Square and Seoul Station, in the middle of Seoul (Waymarking.com, para5). However, it was up in flames on that tragic night. When we saw the news in the morning after the night, we could see what really happened to the gate and had to accept its fate. Our South Great Gate had almost disappeared, because this construction has two stories. The top is made entirely of wood while the bottom is stone. Therefore, the top part nearly burned down completely. After it happened, one citizen explained that Korean pride too had been burnt and another person said, “This is our national treasure number one, so it is our face, but how come there was no security to prevent this disaster?” Many people felt pitiful and ashamed. The demise of the gate, whose history is engendered into South Korean schoolchildren from an early age, led to a general shock and consternation to average citizens, many of whom assembled to watch in great dismay their national treasure burning to ashes. Officials said the fire that enveloped the Great South Gate was thought to have been controlled Sunday evening but rekindled just after midnight, devouring the wooden construction, defying the painstaking labors of more than 100 firefighters."It feels like the pride of the nation and hope is lost and crumbled," Lee Mimi, a Seoul homemaker at the scene bemoaned. Elderly citizens lamented the loss claiming that they had been unable to protect the heritage of their ancestors. A bystander named Lim said her heart was aching as she had been seeing the monument on a daily basis for close to forty years. An official of the Culture Ministry called Kim Chul-min lamented that the gate was one of the few tangible gateways to Korea's ancient history in the age of rapid modernization of Seoul (Afp.google.com, para3). Government engineers postulated that wrong perceptions of structural design and poor judgment by almost everyone concerned played a major role in the destruction. Professor Lee Su-kyung of Seoul National University of Technology claimed that the fire could have been contained at the early stages if only the firefighters had maneuvered themselves properly. He wondered why no one attempted to go into the structure before the flames fully blew up. Roh Sam-kew, a professor of Architecture and an expert in disaster prevention at Kwangwoon University, said major components of the gate such as the massive roof, were wooden, making the blaze difficult to control after it started to spread (So-eui and Jiyeon, para2). The City Police said they were in the process of looking for a man whom a witness reported had broken into the stone and wooden roof and kindled the fire. However, they did not exempt the possibility of an electrical fault as one of the causes. The police said that they were also watching recordings of closed circuit TV cameras situated next to the gate although they had not managed to spot any man entering the Namdaemun. The firefighters stated that they did not want to damage the wooden structure in their rescue efforts and so had opted to soak it with water instead. A sixty nine-year-old man by the name Chae Jong-gi was later apprehended and charged with arson, a crime he later confessed to. A police captain explained that the old man poured paint thinner on the floor of the monument and then set it ablaze. Police say that Chae was angry about not being fully compensated after being compelled to sell his piece of land to developers. Chae Jong-gi had been charged earlier on with kindling a fire at the Changgyeong Palace in Seoul in 2006. Police further reported that Chae had at one time thought of carrying out a terror attack on Seoul’s mass transportation network but forsook the idea fearing a high incidence of innocent human casualties. Chae said he chose Namdaemun gate for his attack since it was inadequately guarded. Korean Newspapers and citizens pointed out that the gate survived Japanese assault and occupation as well as the 1950-53 Korean War. One editorial stated that despite that, it had suffered ruin in only six hours because of sheer disregard from the people it had so valiantly represented over the years. The paper added that the 5000-year-old Korean history took a heavy blow from this occurrence (So-eui and Jiyeon, para3). Moreover, the government immediately started looking at the renovation as a natural reaction of the event. According to the newspaper, government officials do not have a single clue on how to renovate Namdaemun. This is because they do not have the blueprints of the structure and are weighing the likely costs and amount of time it will take to perfectly restore the gate as it was before burning and what materials to be used. As we can see what the Korean government did for the burnt gate, the renovation is naturally the right thing to happen and nobody seems having any objections to the government’s decision in general. On the other hand, in terms of European countries, the people tend to keep the fragments because each piece has history, so keeping as it is is a more natural response to them. Each reaction has reason why people want to do. Different backgrounds and cultural differences could be its cause. Therefore, in this essay, I would like to discuss about whether the renovation on Namdaemun is the right thing to do comparing with some similar cases in Europe. A report by Yon-se in the Korean Times states that the government intends to initiate a nation-wide donation campaign to aid in efforts to restore the national treasure. The proposal was made by the president elect Lee Myung-bak at a meeting with the members of the transition committee. The estimated costs for the renovation released by The Cultural Heritage Administration are worth 20 billion won an amount equivalent to 20 million dollars. Aside from donations, the government plans to allocate some of the money from the national coffers. Koreans in the Diaspora have already offered to give donations and thus according to President Lee; the campaign is a good way of rallying the Korean people together. This will be the second time that the building is undergoing another renovation ever since 1963 and it is expected to last three years. Despite such ambitious plans, opposition has arisen from the Korean netizens with whom I strongly concur. They state that the donation campaign is nothing but a fleeting event. They place the blame squarely on the government stating that the Namdaemun would still be standing if the government had put in place security measures to guard the treasure. They state for instance, that the monument lacked an installed sprinkler system within its grounds. This, they argue, is an example of gross negligence on the part of the government. The Namdaemun should therefore not be renovated. Instead, the tragedy should be a lesson to all countries on the need to protect their national treasures. Chong-dae warns that with plans in the pipeline to drop admission charges into the Korean museum one of the largest in the world, safety is an issue that the government should seriously consider. Some good examples include the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C and the British Museum in London that allow free entry for all visitors. However, these museums have innovative fire prevention and security systems, from which Korea should borrow a leaf. In the Czech Republic, for instance, a 600-year-old Astronomical Clock located on Old Town Square has constantly been vandalized including breaking of one off its hands. A city hall spokesperson stated that due to their location in open places, their susceptibility to attack is high. CCTV footage showed a man of Irish origin breaking the arm. The need for guarding treasures cannot be over emphasized. The Namdaemun ought to remain a beacon of the inherent destructive capabilities of man (Hold, para1-3). The netizens further argue that the government is merely adding a burden to the Koreans by requesting for donations. As taxpayers, they feel it is wrong for the government to request for funds whereas there is a heap of won in the national treasury. Indeed 20 million US dollars is a great deal of money to waste on such a project. The government should use this money to fund its neighbor to the north, North Korea where people are starving owing to food shortages and economic mismanagement. Having joined the Development Cooperation Directorate, a donor club comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, the U.S. and other Western nations, South Korea should concentrate its efforts on alleviating poverty in poor countries. Ranking last on the Commitment Development Index, Korea should increase its status through channeling such colossal amounts of money to humanitarian relief efforts (Roodman, para2). Renovating historic monuments is a great roadblock to radio carbon dating or commonly known as carbon-14 dating. This a method that attempts to estimate the age of organic materials based on the amount of carbon that they release into the atmosphere. Such materials include wood, cloth or even plants. Therefore, when renovation is done, the correct age of the artifacts is thus distorted (Brain, para3). Granted, the South Korean gate is a source of pride to the Korean people. They derive a sense of national belonging and unity from its mere presence and the deep patriotism it engenders in them. However, pride in a manmade object is often fickle and not long lasting. There are nations that have plenty of monuments yet steeped in turmoil and unrest. Greece for instance, boasts one of the world’s most ancient monuments. Yet in recent times, there have been constant upheavals and violent demonstrations due to the state of the economy. In similar vein, South Korea should focus on boosting the economy and the well being of its citizens instead. The unemployment rate for instance has shot from 3.2% to 4.1 %. Furthermore, as the country with the world’s lowest birth rate, the government should spend the renovation money as a form of incentive to encourage people to have more children. Economists are greatly concerned that the fast aging population coupled with various structural problems could significantly hinder the economic growth potential (Indexmundi.com, para1). Renovating the gate is also a way of interfering with history. Damage to an artifact or monument acts as a source of illumination and helps to put various historical occurrences into perspective. Greece is another country awash with damaged ancient historic sites. One of these is the Parthenon that sits on a hill – the acropolis-overlooking Athens. Construction on the temple started in 447 B.C. and ended after nine years. After an explosion owing to the Turkish invasion, the roof collapsed. The damage of the Parthenon helps to point out the might of the Ottoman Empire that was beginning to spread in Europe. It also helps in understanding the kind of weapons that existed in those ancient days (Ancient-greece.org, para1). The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church located at the heart of Berlin in Germany is another example. It is a most striking piece of architecture that has been in existence since the 1890s. Constructed from 1891 to 1895 by Kaiser Wilhelm II, the church was a beacon of Prussian unity and stood in honor of his grandfather, Kaiser Wilhem I. German architect Franz Schwechten designed this imposing structure, which by the standards of the day was unusually flamboyant for a protestant church. Adorned with a large mosaic depicting the history of Prussia, this church suffered irreparable damage during world war two after allied bombings took place and only part of the spire remained standing (Aviewoncities.com, para1-3). The church was never fully restored and its damaged tower is still in existence. In fact, locals refer to it as the ‘hollow tooth’. The tower stands as a vivid memorial to people who have only learned of the war in books. Another example is the roman colosseum located in Rome Italy. Built between 70-72AD, the colosseum has come to rank among the most visited tourist attractions in Italy. It resembles the contemporary stadia only that one-half of it is no longer in existence after damage suffered in a severe earthquake in 1349 leading to the collapse of the outer southern part. It also underwent vandalism since it was constructed with beautiful marble and often used as a quarry (Pepe, para1). The destruction of Namdaemun is a wake up call on the need to diversify the tourism sector. A report by Yonhap news agency dated July 30 stated that the South Korean government had put in place some measures with a view to strengthening the leisure and tourism industry. This is due to the country's ever-increasing service deficit. South Korea has been undergoing a persistent deficit of its service account, which entails overseas spending, largely due to augmented overseas tourism and educational spending. The service account deficit in the first half amounted to 10.6 billion dollars a rise from 8.9 billion dollars in the previous year. South Koreans spent more than 10 trillion won the equivalent of 11.1 billion US dollars on tourism (Accessmylibrary.com, para1). Innovation is paramount when it comes to development of a country. The 2009 Global Innovation Index ranks South Korea at position one in terms of innovation inputs and outputs. With a strong information infrastructure, a well-educated population, high mobile telephone penetration and dense broadband internet connection, it is indeed a knowledge driven economy. In 2010 research and development has reached 3% of GDP. Korea also takes the top spot in the digital opportunity index, with its high tech Digital Media City. The country also stands out in the field of stem cell research having been the first to clone a dog successfully, the renowned Snuppy. This feat went on to be described as the world’s most amazing invention in 2005 by Time magazine. In light of the above milestone achievements, the government should not allow itself to be distracted with the renovation of artifacts that only offer sentimental value. As the world’s largest ship builder and plasma display maker, South Korea should focus its efforts on being a trendsetter in the digital field (Lifestyle.iloveindia.com, para4). Conclusion As evidenced in the above arguments renovation of the Namdaemun should not occur. While it would be foolhardy to relegate the cultural and historic significance of the gate, one must also consider more pressing issues at hand. Twenty million US dollars is a lot of money to spend on an inanimate object such as the Namdaemun. The Italian authorities have not renovated even the great roman colosseum that is more than 2000 years old yet it still manages to attract a flurry of tourists from all over the world. In the wake of severe strains with its northern neighbor, North Korea, the government should focus its energy and resources on restoring a harmonious relationship. The government should further continue its sunshine policy of providing aid to the North Koreans whose economic situation is in a poor state. The money planned for renovation should also be diverted to boost security of other national treasures in Korea such as the ancient palaces. Works Cited Accessmylibrary.com, (2007). S. Korea To Boost Local Tourism Industry To Reduce Service Deficit. Retrieved 4th June, 2010, from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-166963928/s-korea-boost-local.html Afp.google.com, (2008). S. Korea Arsonist In Namdaemun Fire Had Grudge Over Land Dispute: Police Retrieved 4th June, 2010, from http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h4cfjlM7LVtJSzek6TNEkGbO61KA Ancient-greece.org, (2010). The Parthenon Retrieved 4th June, 2010 from http://www.ancient-greece.org/architecture/parthenon.html Aviewoncities.com, (2010). Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche Retrieved 4th June, 2010 http://www.aviewoncities.com/berlin/gedachtniskirche.htm Brain, M. (2010). How Carbon 14 Works Retrieved 4th June, 2010 from http://www.howstuffworks.com/carbon-14.htm Chong-dae, C. (2008).Recalling Namdaemun. Retrieved 4th June, 2010, from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2008/04/162_21758.html Hickey, M. (2009).The Korean War: An Overview. Retrieved 4th June, 2010, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/coldwar/korea_hickey_01.shtml Hold, G. (2010). Vandals Damage Historic Clock: City Official Slams Acts Of 'Barbarism' After Landmark Is Defaced. Retrieved 4th June, 2010 from http://www.praguepost.com/print/4274-vandals-damage-historic-clock.html Indexmundi.com, (2010). South Korea Unemployment Rate Retrieved 4th June, 2010 from http://www.indexmundi.com/south_korea/unemployment_rate.html Lifestyle.iloveindia.com, (2010).Facts About South Korea. Retrieved 4th June, 2010 from http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-south-korea-1921.html Pepe, A. (2008). The Colossseum. Retrieved 4th June, 2010 http://www.the-colosseum.net/idx-en.htm Roodman, D. (2009). South Korea Joins the Donor Club. Retrieved 4th June, 2010 from http://blogs.cgdev.org/globaldevelopment/2009/11/south-korea-joins-the-donor-club.php So-eui, R. & Jiyeon, L. (2008). Seoul's Iconic Ancient City Gate Destroyed By Fire Retrieved 4th June, 2010, from http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSSEO27238420080211 Yon-se, K. (2008). Donation for Gate Restoration Proposed. Retrieved 4th June, 2010, from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/116_18782.html Read More