Heunginjimun Gate (Dongdaemun)

About this place

Heunginjimun is the eastern gate among the eight gates of the Seoul City Wall—the old name for the fortress wall of Hanyang (Seoul), built to protect Hanseong-bu, where important national facilities were located. Because it is the great gate on the east side, it is also called Dongdaemun (Great East Gate). It was first erected in 1396 (the 5th year of King Taejo) when the city wall was built, rebuilt in 1453 (the 1st year of King Danjong), and the gate standing today was newly constructed in 1869 (the 6th year of King Gojong). It is a two-story structure five kan wide and two kan deep, with a hip roof (ujin-gak) that appears trapezoidal when viewed from the front. The decorative bracket sets (gongpo) that support the eaves are placed not only atop the columns but also between them—a multi-bracket (dapo) style; their slender, delicate form with abundant ornamentation well reflects the characteristics of the late Joseon period. On the outside, a semicircular barbican (ongseong) was built to protect and firmly guard the gate, a facility rationally designed for repelling enemies. Heunginjimun is the only one of the city's eight gates to have a barbican and clearly displays late-Joseon architectural style. It stands right beside Exit 9 of Dongdaemun Station on Seoul Subway Lines 1 and 4. A five-minute walk away are the City Wall Park and the Seoul City Wall Museum, and Seoul attractions such as the DDP and Dongdaemun Market are nearby, making it good to tour them together.