A Gate That Welcomed Envoys Was Torn Down, and a New Gate Rose

Yeongeunmun welcomed Chinese envoys for nearly 500 years, but it was demolished during Korea's 1894 Gabo Reform, and Dongnimmun was built on its former site.

Key takeaways

Yeongeunmun was built in 1425 to welcome envoys arriving from China. Fact In February 1895, the cabinet led by Kim Hong-jip, which had come to power through the 1894 Gabo Reform, demolished Yeongeunmun, and the site sat empty for about a year and four months. Fact A groundbreaking ceremony for Dongnimmun was held on November 21, 1896, and construction was completed on November 20, 1897. Fact

What to look for on site

The remaining foundation stones of Yeongeunmun in front of Dongnimmun
The site where the function of welcoming foreign envoys once stood, now vanished
The period the site sat empty before the new gate was built

Precise phrasing

It's inaccurate to say "Dongnimmun was, from the very beginning, a symbol of resistance against Japan." Present its original context — ending the relationship with China — first.