# A Sad Day for Seoul



## globill (Dec 4, 2005)

Namdaemun Gate, designated Korea's National Treasure#1, burned down last night. The country is really bummed out today-


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## centralcali19 (Jan 6, 2007)

wow! that was a nice building..its a shame the world lost a nice piece of architecture.... hno:


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

That's wack 

But it can be rebuilt.


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## Delirium (Oct 8, 2005)

woah, was that one a reconstrcution?

either way, they'll have to rebuild it right?


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## koolkid (Apr 17, 2006)

A landmark in London also burned to the ground. Saw it on the news yesterday.

I'm sure this beauty will be rebuilt.


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## lightarchitect (Nov 22, 2007)

this really sucks..hno: I am so upset


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

Was it arson?

If it is, I think there should be serious penalites for burning down a landmark


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## lightarchitect (Nov 22, 2007)

Helium said:


> woah, was that one a reconstrcution?
> 
> either way, they'll have to rebuild it right?


Its an original, but was restored back in (i think) the 60's


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## Skybean (Jun 16, 2004)

Sad to see. I hope it will be rebuilt very soon.


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## _Night City Dream_ (Jan 3, 2008)

WANCH said:


> Was it arson?
> 
> If it is, I think there should be serious penalites for burning down a landmark


According to some Russian news companies it was an arson.

Anyway, if they decide to rebuild it, it won't be the same. It will be just a copy, not an ancient masterpiece.


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## Manila-X (Jul 28, 2005)

_Night City Dream_ said:


> According to some Russian news companies it was an arson.
> 
> Anyway, if they decide to rebuild it, it won't be the same. It will be just a copy, not an ancient masterpiece.


The only thing but it can still be a symbol that a landmark destroyed can be rebuilt again.

That's why there should be security on important landmarks so no perp would attempt to burn something down.

Just like this Manila landmark


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

hno:


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## BOM (Jun 4, 2006)

There goes 600 years of Korean heritage

D:


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## diz (Nov 1, 2005)

WTF !!! i feel like crying. 

This is such an awesome landmark that it was also created in SimCity.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

That's terrible, a reconstruction can be made but it will never be quite the same 

Hope they catch the person that did this (if it was indeed arson)


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## city_thing (May 25, 2006)

Oh wow, that was so iconic of Seoul.

I remember seeing it on CNN sometimes when in their adverts where everything was moving really fast around it. That's really sad.


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

Ahh man, what a shame it looked great!

Hopefully they'll restore it to it's old look


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## ØlandDK (May 29, 2005)

What a shame


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## japanese001 (Mar 17, 2007)

Snap out of it please.et:








Please attach a sprinkler.


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## benchjade (May 9, 2007)

a big loss


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## Jim856796 (Jun 1, 2006)

Question: What is it like losing your country's #1 national treasure to a fire? Answer: It would be severely worse. It would be like losing the Washington Monument to one.


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## FM 2258 (Jan 24, 2004)

BOM said:


> There goes 600 years of Korean heritage
> 
> D:


What???? I'm sad and I've never been to South Korea.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

My tribute :


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## Beware (Oct 30, 2007)

*Seoul has dealt with MUCH worse....*

*1971 Christmas.* South Korea, Seoul, :skull:* Taeyunkak Hotel Fire :skull:* (below) , in which 166 people died.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*SKoreans get 1st look at beloved national treasure since it was destroyed by arson 1 year ago *
10 February 2009

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Koreans got their first glimpse Tuesday of a 600-year-old landmark since the symbol of cultural identity was destroyed by an arsonist a year ago.

The 14th-century Sungnyemun gate in downtown Seoul was set alight on the night of Feb. 10, 2008, by a man angry with the government over a land dispute. It was closed off to the public following the blaze.

The structure, also known as Namdaemun, was declared South Korea's National Treasure No. 1 in the 1960s. It was the main southern gate to the walled capital of the Joseon Dynasty, which lasted from 1392 until 1910. The gate was completed in 1398.

"It was a tremendous sense of loss, anger and regret that filled us all as we watched Sungnyemun burning down," Yi Kun-moo, head of South Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration, told reporters at the site.

"We will rebuild Sungnyemun for us all," he said. "That I believe is the only way to heal the deep wound of the entire nation."

The attack, which resulted in a fire that burned for six hours, shocked South Koreans, who take immense pride in their long history. The government vowed immediately that it would rebuild the site.

Authorities have recovered more than 3,000 pieces of debris and restoration work is slated to begin next year and be finished by 2012, said Choi Jong-deok, deputy director of the restoration team.

Choi said about 6,000 people toured the site by the planned closing time in late afternoon Tuesday, though authorities decided to extend viewing hours as visitors still waited in line to see it.

Park Sung-ho, from Ilsan, near Seoul, was the first member of the public to enter the site.

"I can still remember how angry I was as I watched Sungnyemun burning," said the 74-year-old Park, who stood in line for two hours.

"Now that I've seen it, I only hope that they will restore it in its full glory and grandeur -- our wooden architecture is the best in the world for sure," he said.

The Seoul central District Court in April sentenced Chae Jong-ki to 10 years in prison for the arson. Chae, then 69, admitted setting the fire in anger over a land dispute unrelated to the landmark.


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