Panoramic view of Tapgol Park and Nakwon-dong in Jongno, March 1, 1959.
Jongno-gu is tearing down the park fence and starting maintenance to restore Tapgol Park, the sacred site of the March 1st Movement, to its appearance 127 years ago. The purpose is to revive the historical value of Tapgol Park and restore its function as a space that all citizens can use.
Jongno-gu Office announced on the 1st that it had received ‘conditional permission’ from the Cultural Heritage Administration for a maintenance project to demolish a portion (21m) of the western wall of Tapgol Park in Jongno 2-ga. Instead, the district plans to restore the West Gate here as it was in 1897.
Tapgol Park is Seoul’s first modern park, built on the site of Wongaksa Temple, built during the reign of King Sejo of the Joseon Dynasty. During the March 1st Movement, 33 national representatives gathered at Palgakjeong Pavilion in current Tapgol Park (then Pagoda Park) and read the Declaration of Independence. In recognition of its historical value, it was designated as a historic site in 1991.
However, the current Tapgol Park looks quite different from when it was built in 1897. Among the ‘Four Jumun Gates’ that originally stood guarding the north, south, east, and west of the park, not a single gate has maintained its original appearance. Since the Japanese colonial period, we have experienced many hardships. Samilmun Gate, the south gate and main gate, was once destroyed by the Japanese and rebuilt in a Western-style stone structure, but was restored to its original form in 1972.
Elderly people stand in line along the wall of Tapgol Park in Jongno-gu, Seoul to receive free meals in February last year. /News 1
The current west, east, and north gates were also newly built. This is because in 1967, when the ‘Pagoda Arcade’ shopping mall surrounding Tapgol Park was built, the existing doors were torn down and removed. When the city of Seoul demolished this shopping center in 1983, it also installed three new gates and a fence. An official from Jongno-gu explained, “The newly built fence is in the style of the 1980s, and the west gate was built in a different location from the existing one, so it has no cultural property value at all.”
Jongno-gu will first tear down the western wall and then begin an excavation investigation, including looking for traces of the old wall and the west gate. An official from Jongno-gu said, “Based on the results of the excavation, we will select the most appropriate plan through continuous research and deliberation with the Cultural Heritage Administration,” and added, “We will discuss whether to restore the old fence or leave only traces of the old fence.”
Ultimately, the plan is to tear down the entire park fence to make it an open space for all citizens. First, Tapgol Park, which was previously classified as a neighborhood park, will be changed to a historical park and the environment, including restrooms and landscaping, will be improved and reorganized. Currently, we are discussing with the Seoul Metropolitan Government to allow senior citizens who receive free meals near Tapgol Park to eat at the Seoul Senior Welfare Center near Anguk Station.
2024-03-01 05:19:55
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