You know what’s better than visiting one place for the first time? Revisiting it. You get a new perspective, and an affirmation on the first impression that you had when you first laid eyes on it. So it was with no regrets that I visited Gwanghamun Square for the second time.
My first visit to Gwanghamun Square, also known as Gwanghamun Plaza, was in March 2013 (read about it here). It was quite brief, as we only passed by the Plaza when we came from Gyeongbukgong, on our way to Trick Eye Museum (in this post). This time, we did it in reverse. From Cheonggyecheon (which I talked about here), we passed by Gwanghamun Square, on the way to Gyeongbukgong.
The entirety of Gwanghamun Square has an area of around 20,000 square meters. From the crossing from Cheonggye Plaza, the first thing we came across at Gwanghamun Square were a line of tents, which turned out to be the “Remember 0416 Exhibition”.
This was devoted to the students and other people who perished in the sinking of Sewol Ferry. Each of the tents had photos of the students, individually and collectively, and there were other tents containing flowers, presents and other tributes to the victims.
I felt kinda tingly while seeing how young they all were. And how many of the victims are still missing.
Just after the Memorial exhibition, we came upon one of the many landmarks of Gwanghamun Square. The first area of the Square is the “Downtown Plaza”, where the bronze statue of Admiral Yi Sun Shin can be found.
And let me take this moment to recommend that you watch “Myeong-ryang” or “The Admiral: Roaring Currents”. Or, simply, Roaring Currents. You can watch the US release trailer at the end of this post.
I always found the statue of Yi Sun Shin very imposing, yes, even in pictures. He is most remembered for his bravery, and that was what was in the film I mentioned, which focused on how Yi Sun Shin, with only 12 naval ships under his command, was able to defeat the Japanese fleet, which had 133 naval ships.
(So, uhm, has anyone ever compared Yi Sun Shin to another one of the greatest military leaders of all time, Napoleon Bonaparte?)
Actually, on both sides of the statue of the Admiral are pop-jet fountains. The first time we visited, some of the fountains were turned on. I am guessing they turned it off this time, because of the proximity of the Remember 0416 exhibition. The tents would have been soaked if they did.
On the sides of the pedestal where the Admiral is perched are carvings and symbols associated with him. Like a depiction of his exploits in the high sea, and his ship.
We now move past the “Downtown Plaza” section to the “Korean Main Plaza”.
I was surprised and pleased at how the items displayed here are still so maintained, and look just as good as (probably even better!) the first time I saw them more than 2 years before. (I guess that says a lot about how stuff are maintained by the authorities where I’m from, huh.)
The Korean Main Plaza is the ‘domain’ of Sejong the Great, or King Sejong, aka the greatest king that this land has ever had. He was a smart one: a king, a scholar, a scientist. He had several inventions, and the most notable ones are on display here.
Let us walk through them one by one. First is the Armillary Sphere, which is like a celestial globe. I don’t really know what it’s for, but it sure looks purrrrrty~
Next up (they are lined up towards the statue of King Sejong, by the way) is the Rain Gauge which is… a rain gauge.
And the third one is a sundial. So… I suppose there are those who would say the Sejong did not originally come up with the idea of a dial using the sun to indicate the time of day, but he was one of those who was able to come up with a design? *shrugs*
This one looks like a real pretty sundial, though. (Forgive me for the limited grasp of adjectives right now. I can only think of pretty, haha!)
And we have come to what is probably Sejong’s greatest contribution to Korean history: the Hangul alphabet. The alphabet he developed was carved on a stone tablet, and laid out in front of his statue.
(Now why can’t we do this with our alibata? Or do we have something like it, but I was just buried under a rock, and was not aware of it? Or was not told about it?)
And then, of course, there is King Sejong.
(Excuse me while I step back a bit and try to shake off the likeness that I am beginning to see between this statue and Yoon Do-joon (of B2st) who played the role of the monarch in Splish Splash Love.)
Sitting there, he looks so…. sage. With a book in his hand and all. 🙂
I guess I have this guy to thank for adding another set of writings that I cannot understand. Haha!
The huge slab of concrete where Sejong’s throne is perched on is not just a slab of concrete. It is actually a doorway that leads to an underground museum or gallery (and eventually to the underground subway system of Gwanghamun Station).
Under the Korean Main Plaza is the gallery called “The Story of King Sejong”, which tells…. the… err… story of King Sejong.
My friend and I just decided to go down for a peek. After all, we barely had 30 minutes before 4pm, which is the last performance of the palace guards at the Gwanghamun.
So we popped down, and man, it was sooo well-maintained. You would not think this was underground! Slide shows on the walls, memorabilia and replicas on display, and there are also guided tours, I think, for English and Japanese. I think there were also scheduled film viewings.
We went back up to continue towards Gyeongbukgong. These pillars are behind the statue of King Sejong. I have no idea what these two guys were doing, but they were already standing there, motionless, when we went down to the gallery earlier.
I think we theorized that they were undergoing initiation or something, haha!
On both sides of the Square are the Yeoksamulgil, or “Waterway of History”. If you are patient, you can start right after the “Downtown Plaza” and read all the accounts, detailed per year on the history of South Korea. I don’t think they are translated to English, though.
Oh, and throughout the Square are areas with plants and flowers. There are even areas filled with blooms, and they are called “flower carpet”.
From here, you can now see Gwanghamun, or Gwangha Gate, the main gate leading to Gyeongbukgong, and Mt. Bugak (or Bugaksan) looming behind it.
Gwanghamun Square is surrounded by many high-rises and cultural buildings. This one is the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
What I liked about the Square was how it still felt so serene, despite that fact that it is smack dab in the center of a busy intersection. In fact, many times, while walking within, I was able to easily ignore the vehicles moving on both sides of the Square.
One memorable tidbit I got about this place was how, on key and momentous occasions, such as when South Korea is competing for the championship in the World Cup, the entire Square is filled with people, and a giant screen is set up for everyone to watch. I saw it broadcasted on a show once before, and I remember being so impressed by it.
Just look at the view of King Sejong and Bugaksan in the distance. I guess they don’t have problems of anyone building a high-rise condominium complex to ruin the view, huh? *sticks tongue out*
Oh, and as I said earlier, here is the US release trailer of Roaring Currents.
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