Gwanghwamun Plaza

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Gwanghwamun Plaza
Public square
Korean transcriptions
Hangul 광화문광장
Hanja 光化門廣場
Revised Romanization Gwanghwamun Gwangjang
McCune–Reischauer Kwanghwamun Kwangchang
Statue of King Sejong with Gwanghwamun in the background
Statue of King Sejong with Gwanghwamun in the background
Features: fountain, statues
Opening date: 1 August 2009
Cost: ₩44.5 billion.[1]
Owner: Seoul Metropolitan Government
Location: Sejongno, Jongno-gu
Seoul, South Korea
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Gwanghwamun Plaza (Hangul: 광화문광장; hanja: 光化門廣場, also known as Gwanghwamun Square) is a public open space on Sejongno, Jongno-gu in Seoul, South Korea.[2] The plaza was opened on 1 August 2009 by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and is part of the City's plans for environmentally friendly renovation projects such as the Cheonggye Stream and Seoul Plaza.[3] It is also of historical significant as the location of royal administrative buildings, known as Yukjo-geori or Street of Six Ministries;[4] and features statues of Admiral Yi Sun-sin of Joseon Dynasty and King Sejong the Great of Joseon.[5]

History

The statue of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin

The pedestrian-friendly open downtown urban space was first announced in February 2004, along with projects for Namdaemun and Seoul Plaza.[6] In December 2006, further plans for the plaza was announced. The project in conjunction with the restoration of Gwanghwamun was carried out by the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, and schedule for completion by August 2009.[7] The plans included moving the statue of King Sejong from Deoksugung to the Plaza. However, after surveys of citizens and experts, decided to commission a new statue of King Sejong in a sitting position and chose the design in a competition between a shortlist of artists recommended by the Korean Fine Arts Association and universities.[8][9]

Construction of the plaza was originally scheduled to begin in February 2008, however it was delayed because of opposition from the National Police Agency, who was concerned that the plaza could be abused as a venue for mass protests. Construction commenced on 23 April 2008, after the Government decreed it a demonstration-free zone.[10]

It was opened after a renovation period of 15-months, which downsized the 600-meter Sejongno, from 16-lanes to 10-lanes of traffic, at a cost of ₩44.5 billion.[11] It is located in front of Gwanghwamun and stretches south from the three-way intersection, along the front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on the west side and Kyobo Book Centre on the east side, to the Sejong-ro intersection, where the statue of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin stands. At the opening the plaza was covered in a flower carpet, 162 m long and 17.5 m wide, with 224,537 flowers representing the number of days from when Seoul was declared the capital on 28 October 1394, to the opening of the plaza on 1 August 2009.[12]

Characteristic

File:Yi Sun-sin statue and 12.23 Fountain.JPG
Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin with the 12.23 Fountain in front in 2012

The Plaza features a water fountain in honor of the achievements of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It is named the 12.23 Fountain, to commemorates the 23 battles he fought with 12 warships, when he led Koreans to victory during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598). The water jets rises to a height of 18 meters along with 300 smaller jets, which symbolize the battles he fought on the sea.[13] It also has a waterway, two centimeters deep and one meter across, at 365 meters along the plaza's east side. The floor of it has 617 stones recording the major events from 1392 to 2008.[14]

On 9 October 2009, two months after the opening, the 6.2-meter high, 20-ton new bronze statue of King Sejong the Great of Joseon was unveiled to the public. It is located 250 meters behind the statue of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin, with an exhibition space displaying information on his life and achievements.[15] It was dedicated on Hangul Day in celebration of the 563rd anniversary of the invention of the Korean alphabet by King Sejong.[16]

In November 2010, the statue of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin was removed for 40 days to undergo restoration works. Moving for the first time in 42 years, it was lifted by a 200-ton crane and transported to a factory in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. It underwent sand-blasting to remove rust, accumulated grime such as from roadside pollution; and repainted before returning to the Plaza.[17][18] Other works included fortifing the inner skeleton and the restored statue was unveiled to the public on 23 December 2010.[19]

Administration

Rallies and demonstrations are illegal at the Plaza and the Seoul Metropolitan Government has decreed that it is to use for cultural exhibitions and a demonstration-free zone.[20]

As of 1 June 2011, the Plaza along with Seoul Plaza are designated as smoke-free zones by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Smokers are fined ₩100,000 in violation.[21]

On 23 September 2012, the Government started on a trial basis, a 550-m designated section of Sejong-ro as pedestrian-only but permitted for cyclists. The section includes the road from the Gwanghwamun three-way intersection, along the plaza in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts to the Sejong-ro intersection.[22]

Events

The Plaza is the location for the start of the annual Seoul International Marathon, which finishes within the Olympic Stadium.[23][24]

In the first winter after its opening the Plaza hosted an open air ice-rink from 12 December 2009 to 15 February 2010. The public rink was 2,250 sq. m, which was larger than the one at Seoul Plaza at 2,100 sq. m.[25]

In popular culture

On 29 November 2009, parts of Sejong-ro were closed to traffic for twelve hours to film lengthy gunfight scenes for Korean Broadcasting System (KBS)'s 2009 spy action television drama series Iris, starring Lee Byung-hun, Kim Tae-hee, Jung Joon-ho, Kim Seung-woo and Kim So-yeon.[26] The five lanes along the plaza in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts were closed to traffic from 07:00 to 19:00, while the five lanes on the Kyobo Book Centre side remains open to traffic. This marks the first time the Seoul Metropolitan Government has granted permission to blocked traffic along the Plaza for filming and it is part of Government's plans to promote the city's major tourist attractions; including Cheonggye Stream and Han River.[27][28]

File:Gwanghwamun Square.jpg
Entrance to Haechi Madang at exit 9 in Gwanghwamun Plaza

On 26 July 2012 at 23:00, boy band Beast held a guerilla concert at the Gwanghwamun end of the plaza, in front of an audience of 4,000 people. It was part of their promotion for their fifth mini album Midnight Sun, and the performance was broadcast on SBS's music show Inkigayo.[29][30]

In 2012, the plaza was used as a filming location for tvN drama Queen In-hyun's Man, where the two lead characters Kim Boong-do and Choi Hee-jin, played by Ji Hyun-woo and Yoo In-na, share a kiss dubbed the 'Gwanghwamun kiss' against the backdrop of Gwanghwamun.[31]

Transport

See also

References

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  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ 2011 Seoul International Marathon Information. Dong-A Marathon. Retrieved on 2011-03-19.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links

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