Independence Gate () or Dongnimmun is a memorial gate in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea. It was built in January 1898. Its construction was planned by Philip Jaisohn, as a symbol of

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

's commitment to independence. It was designated as a Historic Site of South Korea in 1963, and relocated northwest from the original location in 1979 for preservation. Dongnimmun measures 14.28 meters in height and 11.48 meters in width, and is made of approximately 1,850 pieces of granite.

History

Background

In early 1895, the Government of

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

abandoned its long-standing diplomatic policy of '' sadae.'' Under ''sadae'', Joseon was a tributary state of Qing China. To celebrate this change, the Government of Joseon demolished Yeongeunmun in February 1895, which they had built in 16th century as a symbolic gate for welcoming Chinese diplomats to the country. On April 17, 1895, the Joseon Government was formally released from China's sphere of influence with the conclusion of the

Treaty of Shimonoseki The , also known as the Treaty of Maguan () in China or the in Japan, was signed at the hotel in Shimonoseki, Japan, on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing China. It was a treaty that ended the First Sino-Japanese War, ...

between the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

and the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

at the end of the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...

. Philip Jaisohn proposed the building a new gate near the former site of Yeongeunmun's ruins to symbolize the country's desire for freedom. This plan was approved by King Gojong, and the gate was named "Independence Gate".

Plan for construction

To support construction of the gate, Soh created the Independence Club and published Korea's first modern newspaper named '' Tongnip sinmun''. Regular citizens of Joseon donated to the construction of the gate via a public campaign run by the newspaper. Soh wrote the following in the English edition of that newspaper:

Construction and relocation

The design of Independence Gate was inspired by the design of the

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, 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 Plac ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. An unknown Swiss architect working for the German legation in Joseon created the blueprint for its construction. Its construction began in 1896, and finished in January 1898. The construction process was overseen by Korean engineer named .

Subsequent history

The

Government of South Korea The government of South Korea () is the national 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 ...

designated it as a historic site of South Korea in 1963. The gate was initially located north of the plinths of Yeongeunmun Gate, but was relocated 70 meters northwest from its original place with plinths of Yeongeunmun Gate, due to construction of Seongsan Road and its overpass. It is now located in Seodaemun Independence Park, 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 '' Tongnip sinmun'' promoting fundraising 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 on November 21, 1896 File:Hamilton - En Corée - p052.png, Scene of Dongnimmun looking down the Plinths of Yeongeunmun Gate in 1904 File:Independence Gate after the First Battle of Seoul.png, North Korean propaganda installed on the Independence Gate after the First Battle of Seoul, 1950 File:195103 1950年朝鲜战争中国志愿军攻入汉城独立门.png, The Chinese

People's Volunteer Army The People's Volunteer Army (PVA), officially the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV), was the armed expeditionary forces China in the Korean War, deployed by the History of the People's Republic of China (1949–1976), People's Republic of Chi ...

storming through Independence Gate during the Third Battle of Seoul, January 1951 File:Independence Gate Seoul Korea 1955.jpg, View of Dongnimmun from northern side in 1955 before relocation File:Dokripmun.jpg, Dongnimmun and Plinths of Yeongeunmun Gate, Seoul after relocation File:Hangul Script on the Dongnimmun Gate.jpg, Letters of '독립문' and Taegukgi is carved on arch via Vertical writing. Below sign of flower is symbol of

House of Yi The House of Yi, also called the Yi dynasty (also transcribed as the Lee dynasty), was the royal family of the Joseon dynasty and later the imperial family of the Korean Empire, descended from the Joseon founder Yi Seong-gye. All of his descendan ...

References

External links

Dongnimmun Arch, Seoul (Cultural Heritage Administration Official site in English)
{{Authority control Historic Sites of South Korea 1890s establishments in Korea Buildings and structures of the Korean Empire Philip Jaisohn Triumphal arches Gates in South Korea Buildings and structures in Seodaemun District Buildings and structures completed in 1898 Relocated buildings and structures History of Seoul Historic buildings and structures in Seoul