Yeosu City Holds Ridgepole Raising Ceremony for National Treasure Jinnamgwan Restoration

Published 15 Mar.2023 15:56(KST)

Praying for Safety in Restoration, Scheduled for Release at the End of 2024

On the morning of the 15th, Yeosu City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Jeong Gi-myeong) held a beam-raising ceremony for the restoration of the National Treasure Yeosu Jinnamgwan.

About 100 people attended the ceremony, including Yeosu Mayor Jeong Gi-myeong, City Council Chairman Kim Young-gyu, Deputy Director Lee Kyung-hoon of the Cultural Heritage Administration, related organizations, and local residents.

[Photo by Yeosu City]

The event began with a performance by the Yeosu Municipal Gugak Orchestra and proceeded with a traditional ritual led by Kim Se-gyu, Jeongyo of Yeosu Hyanggyo, to pray for the restoration and safe completion of Jinnamgwan, followed by a ceremony enshrining the beam-raising document on the ridgepole.

The "Sangryangmun" (beam-raising document) was written by poet Shin Byung-eun, a review committee member of the Korea Arts & Culture Commission, and calligraphed by Park Jeong-myeong, the founding artist of the Korea Calligraphy Association. It embodies the spirit of our nation and pride in Jinnamgwan.

Since 2017, the city has been actively promoting the Jinnamgwan restoration project, starting with the installation of a temporary protective structure and dismantling of Jinnamgwan. Excavations, investigations of foundation stones, pillars, and wooden components, as well as assembly, have been conducted under the technical guidance and advice of the Cultural Heritage Administration’s expert team.

Going forward, the city plans to complete the roof tile and dancheong (traditional multicolored paintwork) finishing work and open Jinnamgwan to the public around the end of 2024.

A city official stated, "The construction was delayed due to the process of verifying and researching to properly understand and preserve our cultural heritage," adding, "We will do our best to complete the remaining work with a sense of mission to protect our citizens’ pride and history."

Meanwhile, public tours of the Jinnamgwan restoration site, which were suspended due to COVID-19, will resume from April, held once each in the morning and afternoon on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month.

The first tour will be on April 8, and reservations can be made starting March 25 through the OK Integrated Reservation System on the Yeosu City website.