Before you stands Gwanghwamun, the main gate of Gyeongbokgung, the first palace built by the Joseon dynasty when it moved its capital to Hanyang, today's Seoul. It was finished in 1395, and ever since its story has been the story of the country itself.

1A gate with many lives

King Sejong gave it its name in 1426. It burned in 1592, during the Japanese invasions of the Imjin War, and the palace lay in ruins for more than two and a half centuries. In the 1860s the regent Heungseon Daewongun rebuilt Gyeongbokgung and its gate to restore the monarchy's prestige.

During the Japanese occupation (1910–1945), the colonial government built its huge headquarters right behind it, and in 1927 the gate was dismantled and moved to the east side of the palace. In the Korean War its wooden pavilion burned to the ground. In 1968 it was rebuilt in concrete, with a signboard in Hangul, and aligned with the colonial building rather than the palace.

2The restoration

Between 2006 and 2010 it was taken apart once more and rebuilt in wood, a few metres further south and turned to recover the original axis. It reopened on 15 August 2010, Liberation Day. In 2023 the ceremonial terrace (woldae) in front of it was restored and a new signboard, black with gold lettering, was hung.

What you see is a recent reconstruction, but it stands exactly where the kings once passed out into the city.

3What to look for

  • The signboard from 2023, with gold Chinese characters on a black background.
  • The three arches: the central one was reserved for the king.
  • Mount Bugaksan, rising behind and marking the city's north–south axis.

Documented

Gwanghwamun was completed in 1395, burned in 1592, rebuilt in the 1860s, moved in 1927, rebuilt in concrete in 1968 and restored in wood on its original site in 2010.

Sources and credits

Korea Heritage Service (formerly the Cultural Heritage Administration), Gyeongbokgung and Gwanghwamun records; Seoul Historiography Institute, «Gyeongbokgung jungeon cheonil-ui girok» (2019); Todd A. Henry, «Assimilating Seoul» (University of California Press, 2014).

Photos:

  • Gwanghwamun Gate, with a three-arched stone base and a double-roofed wooden pavilion, at the end of an avenue with a zebra crossing and mountains behind: Huntsmanleader, CC0.

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