Namdaemun Is Burning

In an incredibly odd turn of events, a man set fire to Namdaemun last night. Namdaemun (South Gate) is/was the 600-year-old, wood-and-stone gate that once to protect the edge of Seoul but now sits at its very center. Namdaemun is probably Korea's most revered national landmark, a remnant of the Chosun Dynasty, the glory days of Korea.

I went to the gate today to see it for myself. The entire ramparts of the gate were made of wood, and they are now in shambles. The lower stone base is fine, but the form of the gate, the gracefully sloped and tiled roof, so typically Korean, is totally gone. I presume the painted interior of the gate is destroyed as well. There are plans to rebuild it. No word yet on who started it or why.

Here are some photos I found online. I'll post my own once I develop my film.

UPDATE: They caught the culprit. Here's a story about it. Turns out he was just some cranky old guy angry about money.