Construction
The construction of Sungnyemun began in 1396 during
the fifth year of the reign of King Taejo of Joseon and
was completed in 1398. Taejo had ordered his architects
to build the gate facing Mount Gwanaksan as a way of
warding off the feng-shui fire energy associated with the
mountain.
Further additions were made to the gateway in 1447 by King
Sejong, the 4th King of the Joseon Dynasty, and further work
was carried out in 1479 by King Seonjong, the ninth King in
the dynasty. It was at this point it was given the design
that we still associate with the gate today. At that time
Sungnyemun was already the finest of all the gateways into
the city, and the stone and two-tiered wooden structure
with a pagoda-shaped tiled roof rose high above the rest
of the city.
Further alterations and renovations continued over the
next 600 years. The walls on both sides of the gate were
removed in 1907 to make way for a tramway. During the
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