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An altar of the Joseon Dynasty to be restored

Posted January. 28, 2015 07:18,   

한국어

The restoration project of Sajikdan in downtown Seoul (see photo) or an altar to the state deities during the Joseon Dynasty will start in the first half of this year. The purpose of the project is to restore the original form of the alter before a park was created on the site during the Japanese colonial rule.

“We will start the restoration project starting this year with a plan to restore Sajikdan to recover its symbolic and historical meaning,” the Cultural Heritage Administration said on Tuesday.

Sajikdan was an altar where kings of the Joseon dynasty held a memorial service for the god governing land and grains. Only the altar, stairs and walls are restored at present. Thirteen palaces surrounding the altar disappeared in 1922 when the park was created. After Korea became independent, unrelated facilities such as statues for Yi Yulgok and Shin Saimdang were established.

The Cultural Heritage Administration will start excavating the areas where royal palaces used to be located to find traces starting from April at the earliest. “We have a picture taken during the colonial rule, but if we find traces during the excavation, we will be able to find more accurate locations for restoration,” said Kim Jae-gil, an official of the administration.

A budget of 16.4 billion won (15.2 million U.S. dollars) will be injected to the project for 12 years starting from this year. Statues will be relocated and the basic design for palaces will be completed by 2017 and the restoration project will continue until 2027. The Cultural Heritage Administration plans to bring Sajikdan back to the early 20th century when it was not ruined by the Japanese colonial rule because there are no documents left on Sajikdan structures during the period between the renovation under King Sukjong and 1911 when the memorial service was abolished.

The removal of a community center, Jongno Library, Children’s Library, which caused backlash from residents, will be considered again when the restoration of the space for ritual ceremony is completed.