Donuimun (Hangul 돈의문, Hanja 敦義門; also known as West Gate) was one of the Eight Gates of Seoul in the Fortress Wall of

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 ...

, which surrounded the city in 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's historical location is also known as Seodaemun (서대문, 西大門 "West Big Gate").

History

Donuimun was originally built in 1396. It was burned as a result of the 16th century

invasions by Japan An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...

, but was rebuilt in 1711. In 1413(King Tajo 13),the gate was closed. In 1422(King Sejong 4)Donuimun gate was repaired. In 1711(King Sukjong 37)Donuimun Gate was rebuilt in 1711. In 1915, the gate was again destroyed during the Japanese colonial period. The gate was photographed at various times before its destruction, most notably by in a series of photographs taken by Presbyterian missionary

Horace Grant Underwood Horace Grant Underwood (19 July 1859 – 12 October 1916) was a Presbyterian missionary, educator, and translator who dedicated his life to developing Christianity in Korea. Early life Underwood was born in London and immigrated to the United ...

in 1904. Some of these photographs show the tracks of an "American Electric Tramway" running through the gate. The name Donuimun means literally "Loyalty Gate." It was one of the Four Great Gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul.

Reconstruction

Donuimun was demolished in 1915, during

Japanese rule of Korea Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was ruled as a part of the Empire of Japan. Joseon Korea had come into the Japanese sphere of influence with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876; a complex coalition of the Meiji government, military, and business offici ...

, in order to facilitate the construction of a tram line. In 2009,

Seoul Metropolitan Government The Seoul Metropolitan Government is a local government of Seoul, South Korea. The mayor is elected to a four-year term by the citizens of Seoul and is responsible for the administration of the city government. The Seoul Metropolitan Government d ...

announced plans to rebuild Donuimun, using maps from the Chosun era to the present day, in addition to conducting surveys and excavations. Officials originally envision the project to be complete by 2013, but was delayed to 2022, due to budget issues. Currently, an art piece titled "Invisible Gate" stands over the Donuimun site.

Images

References

{{Authority control Gates in Korea Gates in South Korea Buildings and structures in Seoul History of Seoul