After the 2008 fire , revealed its true face . Namdaemun is South Korea’s Superweapon!If you do not believe, just click photos to see. Namdaemun is hanyu pinyin of 南大门. It’s used for greeted the ambassador of Ming Dynasty, so it’s named “崇礼门(it means had a penchant for etiquette)” too.
At approximately 8:50 p.m. on February 10, 2008, a fire broke out and severely damaged the wooden structure at the top of the Namdaemun gate. The fire roared out of control again after midnight and finally destroyed the structure, despite the efforts of more than 360 firefighters. Many witnesses reported seeing a suspicious man shortly before the fire, and two disposable lighters were found where the fire was believed to have started. A 69-year-old man identified only by his family name, Chae, was arrested on suspicion of arson and then later confessed to the crime. A police captain reported that Mr. Chae sprayed paint thinner on the floor of the structure and then set fire to it. Police say that Mr. Chae was upset about not being paid in full for land he had sold to developers. The same man had been charged with setting a fire at Changgyeong Palace in Seoul in 2006.
The Cultural Heritage Administration of South Korea said that it would undertake a three-year project that would cost an estimated $21 million to rebuild and restore the historic gate. President-elect Lee Myung-bak has proposed starting a private donation campaign to finance the restoration of the structure.
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