17th Century Architecture 'Gapsa Daeungjeon' and 'Daegoksa Beomjongru' Designated as Treasures

'Suncheon Palmabi' Honoring Choi Seok's Integrity Also Designated as Treasure
National Treasure 'Yeongcheon Eunhaesa Geojoam Yeongsanjeon' Renamed to 'Yeongcheon Geojoja Yeongsanjeon'

Gongju Gapsa Daeungjeon

The 'Gongju Gapsa Daeungjeon', 'Uiseong Daegoksa Beomjongru', and 'Suncheon Palmabi' have been elevated to national treasure status. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 23rd that these three regional tangible cultural properties have been designated as treasures.

Gongju Gapsa Daeungjeon is the first building reconstructed at Gapsa after the Jeongyujaeran War. Although it has undergone several repairs, it is generally evaluated to have maintained its original form. The construction period is believed to be the early 17th century. This is because the 'Gapsa Sojo Samsebul (Treasure No. 2076)' inside was made in 1617, and the 'Gapsa Historical Monument' was erected in 1659.

Gongju Gapsa Daeungjeon

This building is a gabled house with five bays at the front and three bays on the side. There are not many examples of a five-bay front with a gabled roof. The columns are arranged at regular intervals. Another characteristic is the wooden structure. It uses minimally processed curved materials. The Cultural Heritage Administration explained, "This was a newly emerging trend due to economic changes at the time." They added, "It shares the typical form of a dapo-style gabled house built in the 17th century and suggests architectural trends of the late Joseon period, thus holding high architectural value."

Uiseong Daegoksa Beomjongru is said to have been destroyed during the Imjin and Jeongyujaeran Wars and rebuilt between 1644 and 1683. It is a two-story pavilion building with three bays at the front and three bays on the side, estimated to have been built in the early 17th century. A notable feature is the natural curves of the lower pavilion columns. The Cultural Heritage Administration explained, "Due to difficulties in procuring timber and the influence of late Joseon naturalistic thought, this style was widely used in residences and temples."

Uiseong Daegoksa Beomjongru

The main beam of this building is rarely constructed with two layers of members of the same size. The upper beam member acts as the main beam, while the lower supporting member serves as the beam support. The dapo-style bracket system with po between columns and the use of hwa-ban in the central bay are forms mainly used in jusimpo and ikgong styles. The Cultural Heritage Administration stated, "This is a hybrid building where dapo, jusimpo, and ikgong bracket styles are all present," and added, "It well preserves the stylistic changes of the 17th century when Buddhist temples in the Uiseong region began to flourish."

Suncheon Palmabi is a stele erected in Seungpyeongbu (present-day Suncheon) after the 7th year of King Chungnyeol's reign (1281) to commemorate the integrity of Seungpyeongbu official Choi Seok. According to the Goryeosa Yeoljeon (Biographies), there was a custom in Seungpyeongbu where the local magistrate would donate eight horses upon changing office. After Choi Seok was appointed to the position of Biseorang and left for Gaeseong, he returned the horses donated by Seungpyeongbu along with his own horses and the foals born while the horses were in Seungpyeongbu. After that, the malpractice of donating horses to departing magistrates ended. The townspeople erected the Palmabi to honor Choi Seok's integrity.

Suncheon Palmabi

The stele, originally built at the end of the Goryeo period, fell in the early 1300s and was re-erected. It was severely damaged during the Jeongyujaeran War but was rebuilt in 1616 by Lee Sugwang, who was appointed magistrate. The three characters '八馬碑 (Palmabi)' inscribed here were written by Jin-sa Won Jinhae. The inscription on the back was composed by Lee Sugwang and written by Dongjisa Kim Hyunseong. Unlike typical Joseon steles, which have a roof stone, stele body, and pedestal, this stele lacks a roof stone above the body, and the pedestal is engraved with lotus patterns. The Cultural Heritage Administration described it as "an important artifact representing the Suncheon region," and explained, "The Palmabi's protagonist, Choi Seok, is regarded as a symbol of an incorruptible local official, a legacy that continues to this day, giving it historical, artistic, and academic value."

Yeongcheon Geojo Temple Yeongsanjeon Hall

Meanwhile, on the same day, the Cultural Heritage Administration changed the name of National Treasure No. 14, 'Yeongcheon Eunhaesa Geojoam Yeongsanjeon', to 'Yeongcheon Geojo-sa Yeongsanjeon'. 'Geojoam' was the name changed in 1912 when it became a branch temple of Eunhaesa. The original name was Geojo-sa. This is recorded in various documents, including 'Dongmunseon' published by Seo Geo-jeong in 1478. The Cultural Heritage Administration stated, "In 2007, the Jogye Order officially recognized the temple name as Geojo-sa, and excavations from 2003 to 2005 confirmed a considerably large temple site with Buddhist halls and pagodas, demonstrating its characteristics as a temple."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.