Heunginjimun, literally "Gate of Rising Benevolence" or more commonly known as Dongdaemun, is one of

The Eight Gates of Seoul The Eight Gates of Seoul are eight historical gates that were located in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, South Korea, which surrounded the city in the Joseon Dynasty. Six of these gates exist today (2018). All eight gates were originally built betwee ...

in the

Fortress Wall of Seoul The Fortress Wall of Seoul (Hanja: 서울 漢陽都城; Hangul: 서울 한양도성;), or literally the Seoul City Wall is a series of walls made of stone, wood and other materials, built to protect the city of Seoul against invaders. The wall w ...

, a prominent landmark in central

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. The

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

name "Dongdaemun" means "Great East Gate," and it was so named because it was the major eastern gate in the wall that surrounded Seoul during the

Joseon Dynasty 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 r ...

. The gate is located at

Jongno Jongno or Jong-ro ( ko, 종로), literally meaning "Bell Street", is a trunk road and one of the oldest major east–west thoroughfares in Seoul, South Korea. Jongno connects Gwanghwamun Plaza to Dongdaemun. The area surrounding Jongno is a p ...

6-ga in

Jongno-gu file:Korea-Seoul-Bosingak-05.jpg, Bosingak bell pavilion Jongno District () is a district () in central Seoul, South Korea. It takes its name from a major local street, Jongno, which means "Bell Road". Characteristics Jongno District has been th ...

History

The structure was first built by King Taejo during his fifth year of reign (1398). It was renovated in 1453, and the current structure is the one rebuilt in 1869. In August 2011, the roof of the gate was partially damaged by record rainfall. The large amount of rain resulted in chipping of the roof's ridge. An official of the Cultural Heritage Administration stated that "The aged gate underwent repairs in 1998 and seems to have become soaked in heavy rains".

Characteristics

Heunginjimun shows architectural style of the late Joseon period. The most unusual characteristic is its built outer wall, Ongseong. Ongseong was constructed to compensate the weakness of the target from multiple invaders. It protects the gate and is a beautiful addition. Today, in , the area around Dongdaemun known as

Dongdaemun Market Dongdaemun Market or Tongdaemun (abbreviated DDM) is a large commercial district in Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea.Dongdaemun Design Plaza The Dongdaemun Design Plaza, abbreviated as DDP, is a major urban development landmark in Seoul, South Korea, designed by Zaha Hadid and Samoo, with a distinctively neofuturistic design characterized by the "powerful, curving forms of elongated ...

, a major

urban development Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of peop ...

landmark designed by

Zaha Hadid Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ar, زها حديد ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, artist and designer, recognised as a major figure in architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centu ...

, started in 2009 to renovate what used to be Dongdaemun Stadium (an amateur

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

park) and was officially inaugurated on March 21, 2014."Dongdaemun Design Plaza opens to the public" (Arirang News - March 21, 2014)
/ref> This landmark, also called the DDP, is the centerpiece of South Korea's fashion hub and popular tourist destination and has been one of the main reasons for Seoul's designation as

World Design Capital The World Design Capital (WDC) is a city promotion project by the World Design Organization (formerly named the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design )to recognize and award accomplishments made by cities around the world in the f ...

in 2010.

Location of the Gate

Heunginjimun is located at the intersection of subway lines 1 and 4, at Dongdaemun Station (동대문역). The gate is within easy reach of exit 1 or exits 6–10 of this station.

Images

File:(Tongdaemun) (4096124682).jpg, Side of gate, 1904. File:Americana Korea Big East Gate Seoul.jpg, Rear of gate, before 1920. File:Dongdaemun circa 1930s.jpg, Side of gate, 1930s. File:Dongdaemun.JPG, Side of gate, November 2007. File:Heunginjimun Gate, Seoul, South Korea.jpg, Rear of gate, May 2012. File:Heunginjimun Gate, side view, Seoul, Korea.jpg, Side of gate, May 2012. File:Dongdaemun, Seoul.jpg, Side of gate, August 2017.

References

Dongdaemun street videoclip
{{coord, 37, 34, 16.15, N, 127, 0, 34.70, E, source:kowiki_region:KR, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1398 Buildings and structures in Jongno District Gates in South Korea Tourist attractions in Seoul Treasures of South Korea History of Seoul

History

Characteristics

Location of the Gate

Images

See also

References