By I have been saying this for some time now that it would be a great idea to restore Seoul’s fortress walls and it appears that it is closer to happening now:
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. (…….)
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.
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. [Korea Herald - Gusts of Popular Feeling]
Make sure to read Gusts of Popular Feeling’s posting because Matt does make some good points in regards to the reconstruction of the walls and gates around the city, however I have always felt that the Seoul government should restore the old fortress walls in order to give the city a unique feature unlike any other major city in Northeast Asia. As it is right now there is no feature of Seoul that pops to mind that international tourists would want to see. Sorry Seoul Tower just doesn’t cut it.
The prior poll I ran on if the city should restore the walls actually had 98% of the people who voted agreeing with restoring the walls. So do ROK Drop readers still feel that way about restoring the city’s walls?:
8:04 am on October 25th, 2009 1
That’d be so awesome. I was always impressed by those photos of Namdaemun with the surrounding highrises and office buildings. I would love to see more of this mesh of ancient culture and modern architecture. I wonder where they plan on placing the walls though. The land prices there must be through the roof.
Reply
4:12 pm on October 25th, 2009 2
“…the city plans to seek the registering of the fortress wall on the UNESCO World Heritage list.”
Uh… On a modern construct?
I think it’s a great idea. I just do not see how it could be a world heritage site when construction is completed in 2013. Maybe if they wait 500 years or so (and manage to keep arsonists and the Japanese Imperial Army away from it)?
Reply
October 25th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Remember the Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon is registered with UNESCO and much of its walls and towers are of modern construction as well. I assume the Seoul government figures that there is enough of the old walls remaining to justify it for UNESCO. The UNESCO tab on the walls would go a long ways towards attracting a few more tourists to Seoul.
Reply
4:48 pm on October 25th, 2009 3
You’re missing a Meh / don’t really care button
Honestly, restoring history sounds good and all – but meh.
Reply
7:35 am on October 26th, 2009 4
I’ve always liked how the old and new were together in Seoul; you can piss in an alley or crap on a real flusher! I hope they install a fire suppression system…
Reply
7:03 pm on October 26th, 2009 5
My words exactly. They should go further and restrict or tear down obnoxious buildings around these structures as well.
Reply