Dongnimmun () or Independence Gate is a memorial gate at

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

, built by Soh Jaipil in late 19th century, as a symbol of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

's commitment to independence around the world. It is designated as Historic Sites of South Korea in 1963, and relocated to 70m northwest from original location in 1979 for preservation.

History

Background

In 1895, the Government of

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

abandoned its long continued diplomatic policy of ''

Sadae ''Sadae'' (''lit.'' "serving-the-Great," Hangul: 사대 Hanja: ) is a Korean term which is used in pre-modern contexts.Armstrong, Charles K. (2007). ''Sadae'' is a Confucian concept, based on filial piety, that describes a reciprocal hierarchi ...

'' (flunkeyism). Under this policy, Joseon was respecting political influence of China. To celebrate it, the Government of Joseon demolished

Yeongeunmun The Yeongeunmun () or Yeongeunmun Gate is a historical structure once located in the Joseon Dynasty. Since it was a symbol of China's diplomatic influence on the Joseon, the Gaehwa Party of the Joseon government intentionally demolished it in Fe ...

in February 1895, which was a traditional symbol of flunkeyism built in 16th century as a symbolic gate only for welcoming Chinese diplomats to Joseon. In March 1895, this movement of the Joseon Government got recognized by the

Treaty of Shimonoseki The , also known as the Treaty of Maguan () in China and in the period before and during World War II in Japan, was a treaty signed at the , Shimonoseki, Japan on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing China, ending the Firs ...

following the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the p ...

. Yet it was also important to promote the Joseon's public to discard spirit of excessive reliance on China. To achieve this, Korean-American freedom fighter Soh Jaipil planned building a new gate near site of

's ruins to symbolize diplomatic independence of Joseon around the world. His plan was agreed by King

Gojong of Korea Gojong (; 8 September 1852 – 21 January 1919) was the monarch of Korea from 1864 to 1907. He reigned as the last King of Joseon from 1864 to 1897, and as the first Emperor of Korea from 1897 until his forced abdication in 1907. He is known ...

, and he named it ''Independence Arch'' ().

Plan for construction

To support construction of the Dongnimmun, he constituted a association named as ' Independence Club' (), and published Korea's first modern newspaper named ''

Tongnip Sinmun ''The Independent'' or ''Tongnip Sinmun'' (독립신문; 1896–1899) was an early Korean newspaper. ''Tongnip Sinmun'' was the first privately managed modern daily newspaper in Korea. It was founded in July 1896 by a member of the enlightened Ko ...

'' (). Through broad public campaign by ''Tongnip Sinmun'', construction of Dongnimmun could be propelled by funds of various citizens in

. In English edition of ''

'', called as ''The independent'', Soh Jaipil wrote reason for building Dongnimmun as following;

Construction and relocation

Soh Jaipil planned model design of Dongnimmun as

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''étoile'' ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

. Its specific design was delivered by unknown Swiss architect working for the German legation in

. Its construction began in 1896, and finished in January 1898. The construction process was overseen by Korean engineer named ''. Dongnimmun measures 14.28 meters in height and 11.48 meters in width, and is made of approximately 1,850 pieces of granite. The

Government of South Korea The Government of South Korea is the union government of the Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of state and is th ...

designated it as Historic Sites of South Korea in 1963. At the time of construction, it was built on north of

's ruins. Yet later it was relocated to 70m northwest from its original place with

Plinths of Yeongeunmun Gate, Seoul The Plinths of Yeongeunmun Gate, Seoul ( ko, 서울 영은문 주초) are one of the Historic Sites of South Korea, as remnants of the Yeongeunmun destroyed in the year 1895. They are currently located in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, inside of the Seo ...

, due to construction of modern city road. It is now located in

Seodaemun Independence Park Seodaemun Independence Park ( ko, 서대문독립공원) is an educational and cultural park located in Hyunjeo-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The park contains various monuments and buildings, most notably the Seodaemun Prison Museum. ...

, where Dongnimmun is located, is easily accessed from Exit 4 or 5 of Dongnimmun Station on Seoul Subway Line 3.

Gallery

File:The independent 4th July 1896.jpg, An editorial in ''

'' promoting fund raising for construction of Dongnimmun, July 4, 1896 File:독립문_기공식_초청장.png, An image of the invitation to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Independence Gate in November 21, 1896 File:Hamilton - En Corée - p052.png, Scene of Dongnimmun looking down the

before relocation File:Independence Gate Seoul Korea 1955.jpg, View of Dongnimmun from northern side in 1955 before relocation File:Dokripmun.jpg, Dongnimmun and

after relocation File:Hangul Script on the Dongnimmun Gate.jpg, Letters of '독립문' and

Taegukgi The national flag of South Korea, also known as the Taegukgi (also spelled as ''Taegeukgi'', ) and colloquially known as the flag of Korea, has three parts: a white rectangular background, a red and blue Taegeuk in its center, accompanied by fo ...

is carved on arch via Vertical writing. Below sign of flower is symbol of House of Yi

References

External links

Dongnimmun Arch, Seoul (Cultural Heritage Administration Official site in English)
{{Authority control Historic Sites of South Korea Joseon dynasty Korean Empire Soh Jaipil History of Seoul Gates in South Korea Buildings and structures in Seodaemun District Buildings and structures completed in 1898