Photos of the ruined Namdaemun Gate (남대문 숭례문)

After hearing the terrible news about the Namdaemun gate this morning, I decided I would go down and pay my last respects to what was once a magnificent example of Korean architecture. It’s really quite depressing to spend time walking around a burnt out structure like this. The smell of charred wood was still in the air and the atmosphere of the crowd was solemn and occasionally argumentative. I spoke to one older Korean who was smartly dressed in suit and tie and very upset by this tragedy. He called the destruction crazy and talked of how embarrassed and ashamed he was of what had happened. (Disclaimer – due to my poor Korean any and all translations are not guaranteed accurate and should be taken with a pinch of salt)

Over the hour I spent wandering around the ruin I saw a fair few thousand people coming to get a glimpse of the gate, most were sombre, some drunk and others shouted at the numerous tv cameras and reporters surrounding the site.

The Marmot’s Hole has a beautiful photo memorial to Namdaemun, all I have for you here is pictures of the ruins…

May the reincarnation of Namdaemun be just as beautiful and very well protected.

For more photos you can go here.

Tags: disaster, 남대문, fire, gate, 숭례문, namdaemun, photo, tragedy