No, not the Japanese military. Seodaemun is going to be raised from the dead (like a zombie*).
The ancient gate "Doneuimun," which was removed in 1915 during the Japanese colonial occupation, will be rebuilt in central Seoul by 2013, Seoul Metropolitan Government said yesterday. The landmark gate, also known as Seodaemun, is one of the four major ancient gates in Seoul. The city plans to rebuild the gate, which will measure 12 meters in width and 12 meters in height, based on thorough historical research with experts and scholars.If anyone knows what a 'prospect zone' is, or why anyone would want to put such a 'special zone' in a military-controlled area, I'd be curious to know (perhaps it's a 'prospects (are high you'll be shot if you wander into the wrong area) zone').
The city also plans to build a 16,666-square-meter "historical and cultural" park around the gate to provide citizens with another spot for leisure activities.
The city plans to refurbish the areas near the four gates and make special zones - a "performance and arts zone" near Doneuimun, a "fashion zone" near Heunginjimun, a "festival zone" near Sungnyemun and a "prospect zone" near Sukjeongmun.
The city also plans to restore seven sections (2,175 meters) of the fortress wall of Seoul, which stretches from Mount Bukak, Mount Naksan, Mount Namsan and Mount Inwang, by 2013. The fortress wall was built during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) to safeguard the capital from invasions.I should probably note that a 'relic' is something old, not something new built in an old style. What with Gwanghwamun, Namdaemun, and Seodaemun being rebuilt, by 2013, Seoul will have three brand new ancient gates! And one gets the idea that the fortress walls and gates (all of which can be seen here) are being rebuilt simply to be able to write 'UNESCO World Heritage' on Seoul's tourist maps and brochures.
When the restoration work on Doneuimun and the fortress wall is competed in 2013, the city plans to seek the registering of the fortress wall on the UNESCO World Heritage list. "With the restoration of Doneuimun, we will have all four ancient gates that are key relics of the fortress wall," Kwon Hyeok-so, a senior official in the city's culture division.
"Seoul's unique cultural completiveness [sic] will be further strengthened with the revival of the fortress wall, which is one of the city's representative historic symbols."
"My, but what large brand new ancient gates you have!"All brought to you by the Seoul City Government, who are also responsible for reducing Seoul City Hall from three dimensions to two:
"All the better to culturally compete with other cities, my dear."
Here are photos of the gate, old and new, and a map of the area (click to enlarge):
I get the feeling traffic will be a problem, being able to fit only one lane through the gate's doors.
Hopefully the solution won't be to put an overpass over the gate, like at Dongnimmun...
*Seoul, in that case, is filled with several 'zombie' palaces (Gyeongbok, Changgyeong, and Gyeonghui); I should note that, as he notes in his book Pop Goes Korea, Mark Russell also used the term 'Zombie Wave' to describe the Korean Wave, which can not be said to be dying because, he argued, it never really existed in the first place (outside of media reports and enthusiastic press releases)[Update: see here]; in being both alive and dead, it is similar to a zombie. (Someone really needs to make a zombie film of zombie K-wave stars terrorizing Seoul and feasting on people's brains, but having to leave the offices of newspapers and the national assembly disappointed and hungry.)
Sometimes it's considered a 'special area' because of the military protection. At Bukaksan in northern Seoul, the area has been preserved with little civilian access until recently...
ReplyDeletecompletiveness? Competitiveness and completeness in one word! Sounds like something Bush Jr. might have said, so no worries.
Prospect zone reminds me of those gold rush historical site-museumy things along the Fraser River where you can pretend to pan for gold with some trays and a bit of silt. Did Korea ever have a gold rush?
ReplyDeleteOr maybe professional sports scouts will hang out there, and athletic hopefuls will go there to be scouted.
the Korean Wave, which can not be said to be dying because, he argued, it never really existed in the first place (outside of media reports and enthusiastic press releases)
ReplyDeleteLiving in Hawaii and coming into contact with dozens of neighbors from all over East Asia, I do not agree with that oft-repeated K-blog sentiment at all.
WORD VERIFICATION: relic
matt wrote:
ReplyDeleteIf anyone knows what a 'prospect zone' is, or why anyone would want to put such a 'special zone' in a military-controlled area, I'd be curious to know (perhaps it's a 'prospects (are high you'll be shot if you wander into the wrong area) zone').
I spent most of this past summer not far from that area, and with a kilometers-long jogging/walking path and some other newly established amenities, it appears that the strict military control of the area is being loosened quite a bit. Not entirely, of course, but way different from in the past.
matt wrote:
ReplyDeleteI should probably note that a 'relic' is something old, not something new built in an old style. What with Gwanghwamun, Namdaemun, and Seodaemun being rebuilt, by 2013, Seoul will have three brand new ancient gates!
While some of the cynicism is deserved, I suppose, I don't know if it's entirely fair. In a perfect world, there would be no need to rebuild these structures because they wouldn't have been burned down or razed in the first place, and I'm not going to fault Seoul planners for wanting to re-establish cultural reminders of the past.
And it's not as if these are entirely brand-new structures. Namdaemun, for example, will be built with the same foundation as it had before, and even some of the wood. But the wood that got destroyed by arson itself was occasionally replaced over time, so it's not as if this type of restoration is unprecedented, either.
If they are, as they claim to be, rebuilding along original specifications, and especially if they are able to track down some of the old materials (like the stones), then I don't think it's that big of a deal.
I compare this with things we have back in Orange County, such as Mission San Juan Capistrano which whose "original" stuff isn't entirely original due to earthquakes, fires, and refurbishing. Or Independence Hall, which is an entire reproduction of the original, but which still is a cool place to visit and attracts paying tourists to see the hand-made brick and other work done in the same way as was done in the 18th century when the original was made.
I made some of these points here. Some may pooh-pooh the idea of building from scratch things that were torn down a century or more ago, but many of the older structures in Korea and other countries are themselves major restorations or wholesale reconstructions of older things that were either destroyed or became dilapidated. The late Chosŏn era, in fact, nearly bankrupted the country with a campaign to rebuild structures that had been destroyed in the horrific Hideyoshi invasions of the 1590s. Fortunately, Korea's coffers are much fuller now, and the scale of the reconstructions much more modest.
Have to agree with Kushibo here ~ the fact that structures rebuilt rather than completely "original" really shouldn't be a big sticking point. Many things in the US and Canada are still "original" in the sense of original materials, etc. because they're by and large not terrifically old, and both nations have been largely protected from destruction by other nations. Korea has the double burden of having been frequently invaded (with all the attendant destruction that entails) and having objects and places of significantly greater age. In Japan, for example, many of the
ReplyDeletehistorical sites people like to visit have been wholly rebuilt, either as a result of destruction during WWII or from the natural decay that built structures experience.
And in some cases, Korea has actually done a really spectacular job with their restored/rebuilt structures - turns out the Joseon dynasty in particular was staffed by anal retentive -er, meticulous record keepers, which allows for very, very accurate reconstructions. For a small-scale example of this, check out Gyeonghee Palace, behind the Seoul Museum of History.
In any case, it's a rare situation where I'm NOT in favor of Seoul increasing the amount of green space. Projects like this may not do much individually to raise Seoul's profile as an international tourist destination, but they go a hell of a long way towards making Seoul liveable, which does eventually add up to a better experience for tourists as well.
Gomushin Girl wrote:
ReplyDeleteIn Japan, for example, many of the
historical sites people like to visit have been wholly rebuilt, either as a result of destruction during WWII or from the natural decay that built structures experience.
This is true, and a good point, and one that I think applies to Korea as well. Some of the most famous, recognizable, and representative sights in Japan are things that were rebuilt after World War II or other disasters.
And I'm talking beautiful sights. Things that if you feel this way about Sŏdaemun, Namdaemun, or Kwanghwamun being refurbished or rebuilt, then you will find it very disappointing to know these are simply replicas, so I'm not going to say what they are. But they are probably two of the most iconic sights in Japan after Fuji were one rebuilt in the 1920s after it was destroyed sixty years earlier (and again partly rebuilt after WWII's damage), and another was rebuilt after being completely destroyed in an arson fire by a crazed monk in the 1950s.
But their reproductions are just as beautiful, and they were carefully reproduced to be as authentic as possible. They mean something to the locals and to visitors, and I think that's worth something.
I'm not against this reconstruction - it's fine, and will look nice after a couple decades wear the new finish off (much like the Seoul fortress on Bugaksan). But I'd have a much friendlier disposition towards it if Seoul wasn't actively razing much of its 20th century history, such as Singye-dong, Pimatgol and 85% of City Hall itself. Jongno Town is a perfect example of what really raises my ire - if you're going to replace Pimatgol with an office building, fine. But don't affix wooden 'traditional' gates to the side of the building and post an information plaque which effaces all of its 20th century history and pretend like something has been preserved.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Korean Wave, I hope I haven't misrepresented Mark - I don't have his book handy - but I didn't mention that his main point was that what is known as the Korean Wave is Korea experiencing globalization. He didn't deny that Korea was exporting its pop culture (at all!) but took issue with its characterization in the media. I can't remember who wrote it, but all waves eventually crash on the shore and recede, so it's not the best metaphor.
That should be 'successfully exporting its pop culture'.
ReplyDeletematt, I agree with you about the negligence toward 20th century buildings (which at times was outright hostility by nationalists who were, in fact, going against the will of a silent majority).
ReplyDeleteI don't like what has happened to City Hall, though I'm glad to see that Seoul Station and Shinsegae have remained relatively intact. On the other hand, there are neighborhoods like my old one that are full of colonial-era homes that, like their younger counterparts from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, face the wrecking ball so that midrise apartments can go up.
matt wrote:
ReplyDeleteHe didn't deny that Korea was exporting its pop culture (at all!) but took issue with its characterization in the media.
I look at Korean media with a healthy skepticism, and that's how I approached early reports of the Korean Wave. To say I had my doubts was quite the understatement.
And then when I spent several hours in Narita on several different trips and saw magazine cover after magazine cover of Japanese-language magazines featuring Korean dramas and other pop culture items, I began to realize that this may not be an exaggeration.
Here in Hawaii I live in a dormitory that is 80% non-Americans, the vast majority from elsewhere in East Asia, and I know from repeated conversations that Korean pop culture — drams, music, and movies — have penetrated deeply and have staying power there. In fact, the quality is something that many of the people in those countries aspire to.
And then the Americans here... they watch more Korean dramas than I ever did. Korean stuff is hot and it's staying hot. People are waiting for the next big thing.
No, I don't think it's an exaggeration, although the peanut gallery (i.e., the TMH commentariat and similar venues) like to paint it as such.
I'm not suggesting, though, that those are the thoughts of Mark, who knows a lot about this stuff and has a balanced point of view on these things.
What year was that picture of Tongnimmun taken? I have no idea when that elevated road was built.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like the gate was on the south side of the elevated road, but now it's on the north side. Was the gate moved? That must be one of those things I would have read in the historic marker but I just forgot.
That photo is from 1979, and the gate was indeed moved north (at that point it stood on an island in the middle of Uijiro). There's apparently a marker in a manhole in the middle of the street where it used to stand.
ReplyDelete