You're on Jongno, whose name literally means "Bell Street". The bell in question hangs in this pavilion, Bosingak, and for centuries it set the rhythm of the capital.

1The city's clock

In the Joseon era, Hanyang was ringed by walls whose gates were shut at night. At dusk the bell rang 28 times, the call known as injeong, and the curfew began; at dawn, 33 strokes, the paru, announced the opening of the gates. It also served as a fire alarm. Around it spread the city's great market, with shops licensed by the crown.

2Fire and war

The pavilion was first built in the late 14th century and destroyed several times. In 1895 King Gojong gave it the name Bosingak. It was badly damaged in the Korean War, and the current two-storey building dates from 1979. The old bell, cast in the 15th century, cracked over time and is now kept at the National Museum of Korea; the one you see is a copy cast in 1985.

Every 31 December at midnight the bell is struck 33 times before thousands of people: this is how Korea welcomes the new year.

The origins of the old bell are uncertain: some records link it to Buddhist temples in the capital before it came here.

3What to look for

  • The bell, visible between the columns of the upper floor.
  • The pavilion's signboard, on the façade.
  • The contrast with the office towers all around it.

Documented

The bell marked the closing and opening of the capital's gates; the pavilion was named Bosingak in 1895, the current building dates from 1979 and the current bell was cast in 1985.

Sources and credits

Seoul Metropolitan Government, information on the Bosingak bell-ringing ceremony; National Museum of Korea, record of the old Bosingak bell; Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (Academy of Korean Studies), entry «Bosingak».

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