Restoration of Gwanghwamun Woldae Gains Momentum... Traces of the Past Discovered

Even stone stairs, pedestals, etc... Understanding the transformation process
Cultural Heritage Administration to complete restoration work by October

During the Japanese colonial period, the Gwanghwamun Woldae (stone platform) buried underground due to the installation of tram tracks has emerged into the sunlight after about 100 years. Recent excavation surveys have uncovered traces that will lead to its restoration, including the eodo (a path made for the king to pass) stairs and the base section.

The Cultural Heritage Administration, which is promoting the restoration and maintenance of the Gwanghwamun Woldae, revealed on the 25th the excavation results and restoration plans investigated by the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage in Seoul since September last year. The Woldae is a broad platform installed at major buildings such as the Jeongjeon (main hall) at the center of the palace. It existed at Gyeongbokgung Geunjeongjeon and Changdeokgung Donhwamun, but Gwanghwamun Woldae is the only one where railings were placed around the main gate of the palace and a base was built.

The 'Yeonggeon Ilgi (Construction Diary),' a record left during the reconstruction of Gyeongbokgung under King Gojong of Joseon, contains an entry on March 3, 1866, stating, "A Woldae was built in front of Gwanghwamun." It explains, "We carried the miscellaneous soil piled up inside the palace, which amounted to about 40,000 jims (a traditional unit of weight)." According to photographic materials from the 1890s, the structure consisted of base stones, stair stones, railings, and the interior filled with earth.

The scale revealed by this investigation measures 48.7 meters in length and 29.7 meters in width. This differs slightly from the 52 meters by 29.5 meters estimated in the 2005 report titled 'Basic Plan for the Restoration of Gwanghwamun at Its Original Location and Surrounding Maintenance.' A Cultural Heritage Administration official stated, "Unlike the western side of the Woldae, the eastern side, which relatively maintained its original form, allowed us to confirm the overall appearance during the reconstruction of Gyeongbokgung." The core eodo was identified as a 7-meter-wide passage connecting to the central gate of Gwanghwamun. It is believed that during nationally significant events, the king and the people met and communicated here.

The construction method involved stacking two tiers of base stones made of well-trimmed long stones measuring 120 to 270 cm in length, and creating a platform higher than the surroundings by alternately layering soils of different properties inside. On the south side, stairs were constructed using long stones. At the center connecting to the eodo, somatdol (decorative stones) were used to adorn and separate the left and right sides of the stairs. A Cultural Heritage Administration official said, "Although part of the eodo stair site was damaged by the tram tracks during the Japanese colonial period, the base stones that supported the somatdol were confirmed, which is expected to be an important clue for restoring the original form of the Woldae."

According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, the Woldae underwent four major changes after its construction. In the first phase, there were stairs divided into three parts on the south side, but in the second phase, the central eodo stairs were replaced by a ramp. In the third phase, the stairs were reduced and transformed to the east and west edges due to the installation of a single-track tram line. In the final phase, the tram line was double-tracked, the railings were removed, and the area was used as a road.

The Cultural Heritage Administration plans to complete the restoration work by October this year. The work will reuse components such as railings and hayeopseok (荷葉石, lotus leaf-shaped supporting stones placed at intervals under the railings), which are believed to have been dismantled in the 1920s and moved to Donggureung in Guri, Gyeonggi Province. A Cultural Heritage Administration official said, "We plan to restore the Woldae authentically by applying traditional materials and techniques," adding, "We expect to showcase its former appearance at the Palace Culture Festival this fall."

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