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In front of Gwanghwamun and Sejong-daero in Seoul, the kings of the Joseon Dynasty used to travel and were crowded with various government offices.
Japanese imperialism damaged this street and installed railroad tracks for streetcars to pass through.
Some of the railroad tracks and palace facilities of Joseon, which had been buried in the ground, have been revealed as part of the Gwanghwamun restoration project.
Reporter Ji Yoon-soo covered the story.
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In front of Gwanghwamun, Seoul, which is blocked by a temporary wall due to the excavation of cultural assets.
Looking down from above, the line in the shape of a ‘Y’ is clear.
It is a streetcar railroad made by the Japanese Empire 100 years ago.
[신희권/서울시립대 국사학과 교수]
″With the creation of the Japanese Government-General of Korea, Gwanghwamun was also moved from its original location to the east side of Gyeongbokgung Palace, and in its place, such trains to Tongui-dong and Anguk-dong were (created).″
After digging regarding 70cm further under the railroad tracks, traces of palace facilities and military facilities in the late Joseon Dynasty were also visible.
Tram tracks revealed in this excavation.
You can see that some of the palace facilities during the Joseon Dynasty were damaged.
Even in the late Joseon Dynasty, in front of Gwanghwamun, there was a ‘Woldae’ with handrails on both sides on a flat podium made of stone.
In this 1,400-square-meter space, the king hosted events such as state examinations and Confucian scholars made appeals.
However, this space was damaged when the Japanese imperialists laid tram tracks.
In 1917, the Japanese imperialists installed railroads saying that materials needed to build the Japanese Government-General of Korea had to be moved, and then used them as tram tracks the following year.
At the time, the Dong-A Ilbo reported that ″The tram destroyed the front yard of the palace and the “stone railing” in front of Gwanghwamun was also regarding to be torn down.”
[황평우/한국문화유산정책연구소 소장]
″Passing through Gwanghwamun, the heart of Joseon, military and administratively important facilities were removed and railroads and roads were laid on top of them… ″
In 1966, following liberation from Japanese colonial rule, the railroad was buried in the ground during the construction of the Sejong-ro Underpass, but it was opened to the public following 57 years as part of the Gwanghwamun Restoration Project.
Seoul City plans to restore Woldae in Gwanghwamun and move the railroad to another location.
This is Ji Yoon-soo from MBC News.
Video coverage: Choi Kyung-soon / Video editing: Lee Hye-ji
