[K STYLE] Restoration of Gwanghwamun Woldae

Built in 1395, Gyeongbok Palace is recognized as the noblest, main royal palace in Korea's ancient Joseon Dynasty.

There is Mount Buggak north of the palace.

On the south, Gwanghwamun Gate is situated.

Government offices were located outside the gate.

The area in front of Gwanghwamun Gate is to slip back into its old ways.

This is an image of Gwanghwamun Gate about one hundred years ago.

There was a "Woldae", or the Joseon-era ritual stage made with stone, in front of the old gate.

Woldae was used as the venue of various royal rituals or ceremonies. It was also a location where the public made appeals to the king.

It's a spot of harmony, where the king was communicating with his people.

Woldae is found in other building and structure built in other monarchies.

The Woldae in front of Gwanghwamun Gate, that was damaged by the Japanese colonialists, is to be redintegrated.

The statues of 'Haetae', which were in front of the gate, will be moved back toward the square to its original location.

In Korea, Haetae, a legendary creature or mystical unicorn lion, is known as a guardian against fire and disasters in royal palaces.

The state Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) and the Seoul city government have agreed to expand Gwanghwamun Square by 3.7 times its present size.

[Kim Jong-Jin, director general of CHA]
"We will do our best to nicely transform Gwanghwamun Square into a historic site and make it a good example of our cultural heritage restoration projects."

Gwanghwamun is the main gate of Gyeongbok Palace which was completed 623 years ago. However, the palace was burnt down during the Japanese invasion of Joseon.

Although the palace was rebuilt in 1868, it was damaged during the Japanese colonial rule of Korea and the Korean War.

[Park Won-Soon, Seoul mayor]

"The Gwanghwamun area is the center of the national management philosophy and humanism. It also houses the nation's pivotal government offices and agencies. That's why Gwanghwamun Gate has been through a lot of ordeals of being damaged and distorted."

The 99.5 billion-won project to expand the Gwanghwamun area, is scheduled to be completed by May 2021.

The district, which was in the heart of the Joseon Dynasty's city plan, is now to be reborn as the center of modern Korean history and culture.