Screens showing an image of the Namdaemun gate in Seoul
© AFP/File Jung Yeon-Je

SEOUL (AFP) - A huge image of Seoul's Namdaemun gate is painted on the plastic screen, which conceals webs of scaffolding and debris.

But behind the facade, preparations are underway for a 25-billion-won (18.5-million-dollar) project to restore the symbol of the capital and the nation.

"This project is not simply to restore Namdaemun to what it looked like before the fire but to its original shape before Japanese colonial rule," Song Bong-Gyu, an official of the Cultural Heritage Administration, told AFP.

The country's best-known historical landmark was torched in February last year by an elderly man who nursed an unrelated grievance against authorities over land compensation.

The arson sent shock waves through the country, with sorrowful residents swarming around the charred ruin, laying flowers and writing messages of grievance. Authorities came under fire for lax safeguards and a poor response to the blaze.

Chae Jong-Gi was later jailed for 10 years.

Firefighters battle a blaze at the Namdaemun gate
© AFP/File Kim Jae-Hwan

A court ruled he "inflicted unbearable agony on the people and damaged national pride," noting that the gate had been considered "the treasure among all treasures which had survived all kinds of historic disasters".

The two-story, wooden, pagoda-style building on a stone base was built in 1398, rebuilt in 1447 and renovated several times. But it still contained some 600-year-old timbers.

Unlike most other historic buildings, it survived the country's turbulent history of Japanese colonialism from 1910-45 and the Korean War of 1950-53, when much of the capital was laid waste.

Namdaemun was one of the four major entrances into ancient Seoul which was originally protected by a 18-km (11.25 mile)-long fortress wall. Most of this wall was torn down in the early 20th century as the city expanded.

Lee Gun-Mo, head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, said last May that restoring the gate to its original shape "is the only way for us to get over the tragedy and cure the national trauma".

A gate leading to the ruins of the country's first national treasure, the Namdaemun gate, in Seoul
© AFP/File Jung Yeon-Je

Under this principle, part of the fortress wall will be restored.

When work is completed by the end of 2012, there will be a 10-metre-long (33-foot) section of wall on the left side of the gate and a 70-metre section on the right.

The gate's basement is up to two meters higher than the original, following alterations to lay tram tracks in the late 19th and early 20th century.

The height will be lowered to its original level, a nearby filled-in pond will be restored and pedestrians will again be allowed to walk through the gate as during the Chosun dynasty of 1392-1910.

Following research and preparation, construction will start in January 2010 but challenges lie ahead.

Authorities spent months scouring forests across the country to find 10 pine trees which are straight, hard and high enough to replace burnt pillars.

Namdaemun gate following a fire is seen in central Seoul on February 11, 2008
© AFP/File Jung Yeon-Je

Ten months after the fire, the first pine was felled in the northeastern province of Gangwon last month -- following a brief traditional ritual dedicated to the mountain spirits with offerings of food and drink.

More than 20,000 roof tiles will be moulded and baked in traditional kilns but there are problems replicating the strength and durability of the originals.

Other challenges include reproducing "dancheong," a traditional decorative colouring for buildings. The current dancheong was applied in the early 1960s and no colour pictures of the original colouring exist.

"The principle for restoration is that it must be done through the best artisans, using traditional tools and methods," Song said.

"But it's quite challenging to secure information and evidence to return it to the original shape of the pre-colonial era," he added.

©AFP