Sungnyemun Gate, Seoul

Also called: Namdaemun

The main gate of the Hanyang city wall (Namdaemun). A multi-bracket gate finished in 1398, it burned in 2008 and was restored in 2013.

The main southern gate of the Hanyang city wall, also called Namdaemun. It was completed in 1398 (7th year of King Taejo) and rebuilt in 1447 (29th year of King Sejong). A two-storey pavilion stands on an arched stone gateway; it is in the dapo style, with brackets between the columns too, under a hipped roof. The great gates of the capital were named after the Confucian virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom (Heunginjimun, Donuimun, Sungnyemun); the south gate took propriety (ye). Unlike other gates, its name board hangs vertically.

One of the oldest wooden buildings in Seoul, it is a National Treasure. In February 2008 an arsonist burned most of the pavilion; it was rebuilt with traditional methods and restored in 2013.