Restoration Standards Shifted Each Time the Gwanghwamun Signboard Changed [Signboard Debate]

From Park Chung Hee's Handwritten Hangul to Correcting Color Errors
"Proper Restoration" Was the Goal, but the Original Form Remained Elusive...

Gwanghwamun Signboard

The Gwanghwamun signboard has been replaced three times over the past half-century. Each time, the justification was “proper restoration,” but the standards for restoration changed with each replacement.

Hong Seokju, Professor of Architecture at Seoil University, traced the history of Gwanghwamun’s transformations and explored the historical roots of the signboard debate at the “Gwanghwamun Signboard Discussion” held at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History on March 31. The starting point, he noted, goes back to the founding of the Joseon dynasty.

Gwanghwamun received its current name during the reign of King Sejong. After being destroyed in the Japanese invasions of Korea, the gate remained in ruins for more than 270 years until it was rebuilt in 1865 during Heungseon Daewongun’s reconstruction of Gyeongbokgung Palace. This moment serves as the reference point for today’s restoration standards. However, the period of glory was short-lived. During the Japanese colonial era, the Government-General of Korea building was constructed on the sites of Heungnyemun Gate and Geumcheon Bridge in Gyeongbokgung. In 1927, Gwanghwamun was forcibly relocated to the palace wall near what is now the National Folk Museum of Korea. The wooden gate tower was then completely destroyed during the Korean War, leaving only the stone arch base intact.

The first major turning point in the signboard’s history came in 1968. The Park Chung-hee administration relocated the remaining stone base and rebuilt the gate tower on top of it. Both the location and structure differed from the original Joseon-era design. The gate tower was constructed using reinforced concrete, and each component was made slightly larger than before. The signboard was inscribed in Hangul with the handwritten calligraphy of former President Park Chung-hee.

On-site Discussion Meeting for Additional Opinions on the Hangul Signboard at Gwanghwamun - Yonhap News

This was closely tied to the “Hangul-only policy” being promoted at the time. After receiving a petition in 1967 from university students urging exclusive use of Hangul, President Park ordered the development of related plans in November of that year and had the Gwanghwamun signboard made in his own handwriting. He later replaced it once more, stating he was dissatisfied with the lettering. At the 1968 restoration completion ceremony, he instructed, “From now on, restore cultural heritage in concrete so that it can last 1,000 years.” Professor Hong evaluated, “The reinforced concrete Gwanghwamun at the time was more a symbol of industrialization than a cultural heritage asset.”

The second turning point came in 2010. In accordance with the Gyeongbokgung restoration plan that began in 1990, the reinforced concrete Gwanghwamun was dismantled in 2006 and rebuilt in traditional wooden structure four years later. A signboard in Chinese characters, restored from the handwriting of Im Taeyoung, the training commander at the time of Heungseon Daewongun’s reconstruction, replaced the Hangul signboard after 42 years. Although there were suggestions to base the new signboard on King Jeongjo’s calligraphy, the decision was made to restore it based on photographic evidence.

However, cracks began to appear just three months later due to issues with the color scheme. In 2016, a photograph of Gwanghwamun from the collection of the Smithsonian Institution in the United States was released, revealing an error in the signboard’s design, which had been made with black lettering on a white background. The correct record surfaced two years later. In 2018, the “Gyeongbokgung Construction Diary” discovered in Japan confirmed that the original signboard had gold lettering on a black background. As a result, the signboard was replaced in 2023 with the correct color scheme. However, the font from 2010 was retained.

Gwanghwamun Signboard Color Analysis Replacement

Professor Hong evaluated this history of replacements as a legitimate process to correct errors, but drew a clear line regarding the addition of a Hangul signboard. He argued that the standard for the Gyeongbokgung restoration project is the appearance from the time of King Gojong, and the long-term plan running through 2045 is also based on this principle. For example, even though tram tracks from the Japanese colonial period were unearthed during excavations to restore the Gwanghwamun Woldae (the stone terrace), it was restored to its form under King Gojong. There is no historical record of a Hangul signboard. Adding one now could undermine the restoration standards established over the past 35 years.

Professor Hong warned, “Installing a Hangul signboard that is not documented in any historical records would be tantamount to denying the standard of restoring it as close as possible to its original form and would undermine 35 years of restoration achievements. It could also create confusion for other national heritage restoration projects, including not only Gyeongbokgung but also Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, and others.”

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