Beth Salerno

Cultural Loss

February 11, 2008 Author: Beth Salerno

New Hampshirities and South Koreans woke up with something new in common this morning - the destruction of a national icon.  Those who remember waking up to the news that the Old Man of the Mountain had finally slid into infinity will understand how Seoulites feel this morning.  They awoke to news that a 610 year old gate called Sungnyemun or Namdaemun was gone.  This gate was originally part of a wall that defended Seoul from invasion.  It was designated as National Treasure Number 1 in 1962.

It will take some time to determine the cause of the fire, but early guesses are arson.  This makes the news all the more awful; this disaster was not natural, not the result of time and impersonal forces.  In addition, Korea lost thousands of their national treasures during various invasions by China and Japan and have invested billions of dollars in restoring those that remain.  The vast majority are wooden structures, and so most are vulnerable to arson.

Early estimates suggest it will take 20 million dollars and 3 years to restore this symbol of Seoul and Korea.  I am sure Koreans will spend the time and money.  They have spent millennia rebuilding.  But this morning, people are more focused on what they have lost.

Entry Filed under: History, Culture