Gwanghwamun

There is a construction project going on front of Gyeongbok Palace in downtown Seoul. It looks like this:

You can see some of the buildings of the palace compound on the right.

During the Japanese occupation of Korea in the first half of the 20th century, the Japanese constructed their main administrative building in this area. They deliberately obstructed the view of Gyeongbok Palace from central Seoul. Adding insult to injury, the German-architect-designed neo-classical structure was, viewed from above, shaped like the Chinese character 日, symbolizing Japan.

Quite a few historical buildings were demolished to make way for the building, including Gwanghwamun (광화문 光化門), the gate that was the major landmark of downtown Seoul. The gate had been first built at the end of the 14th century. In the 1960s, the Korean government rebuilt the gate as close to its original location as they could.

In the mid-1990s the Japanese administrative building, a symbol of Japanese occupation, was finally demolished. It was now possible to rebuild Gwanghwamun in its original location. Construction began in late 2006 and will be completed in 2009.

Here are some side views of the construction. You can see that it is still in the early stages.


If you click on the picture to see it larger, you'll notice English and Korean slogans written on the wall.


The Korean says "Seeking the proper form of Gyeongbok Palace's Gwanghwamun".

I took these photos last week, when we were still in Seoul.