By KUNA
Tokyo : A fire ravaged a 600-year-old wooden tower gate in central Seoul, South Korea’s greatest national treasure, with police still trying to find the cause of the fire and some experts suspecting arson, local media reported Monday.
The icnident came as a shock for many Koreans, destroying their top national treasure at the onset of the new Lunar Year.
Namdaemun (The Great South Gate), the two-story wooden structure, collapsed about five hours after it caught fire late Sunday, Yonhap News Agency said. The blaze appeared to be under control at one point, but it flared up again a few minutes later, spreading quickly as firefighters tried to salvage the iconic landmark.
Police suspected either an electric fault or arson caused the fire, but no tangible clues have emerged as they questioned witnesses and studied footage from surveillance cameras, according to the report.
The landmark, officially called Sungnyemun, or “gate of revering decorum,” was the southern gate of the walls that surrounded Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
The 600-year-old gate survived a series of Korea’s tribulations from the Japanese invasions in the 16th century to the 1950-53 Korean War. Even in modern times when repair efforts on artifacts became commonplace, the historic gate kept most of its original form after it underwent post-war renovation in 1962.
“We are deeply sorry. No words can express our sadness,” the Cultural Heritage Administration in charge of supervising artifacts said in a statement.
Firefighters said there were only eight fire extinguishers at the six-century-old gate. Faced with severe criticism for failing to protect the fixture in Seoul, it said reconstruction will begin soon after the piles of debris are removed.
Namdaemun will be able to retain its original form, based on its detailed architectural design published in 2006 and a repair report from the 1960s, it said.