Changdeok Palace restricts access to 'Gate of Immortality' after crack found in stone

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Changdeok Palace restricts access to 'Gate of Immortality' after crack found in stone

Published: 02 Jun. 2025, 16:01 Updated: 02 Jun. 2025, 17:48

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Bullomun, a stone gate erected at the entrance to Yeongyeongdang in Changdeok Palace to wish for Joseon-era kings’ health and longevity [JOONGANG ILBO]

Bullomun, a stone gate inside Changdeok Palace in central Seoul, has a crack and will be shut down while undergoing repairs, the Korea Heritage Service announced Monday.

The Changdeok Palace Office announced on its website last week that passage through Bullomun would no longer be allowed to facilitate the preservation and protection of the stone structure, which has been damaged by cracking and weathering. Currently, the office frames the measure as part of broader national heritage protection efforts.

The damage is the result of two decades of climate change, the Korea Heritage Service said, adding that the last time the administration brought in the gate for conservation work was 20 years ago.

While repairs are ongoing, visitors will no longer be allowed to pass beneath or through the gate. The tour route through the rear garden of Changdeok Palace will also be partially altered. Previously, visitors passed through Bullomun when touring the Aeryeonji pond area, but the new route will guide them via the Uiduhap study on the left before continuing to Aeryeonji, Yeongyeongdang and Gwanramji pond.

Bullomun, also known as the “Gate of Immortality,” is believed to have been built during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) to wish for the king’s longevity. The gate, which stands about 2 meters (6.6 feet) tall, was carved from a single wide stone slab.

The Gunggwolji, a historical record detailing the names, locations and histories of palace structures from the Joseon era, states that “to the east of Aeryeonjeong Pavilion is a stone gate called Bullomun.”

Tradition holds that the gate symbolizes a wish that “those who pass through it will avoid injury and illness and live a long life.” Imitations of the gate, as symbols of health and longevity, have been erected in various parts of Korea.

But concerns regarding the preservation of the original Bullomun at Changdeok Palace have persisted.

A 2018 paper by Jung Sang-pil and Lee Young-han, presented at the spring conference of the Korea Institute of Ecological Architecture and Environment, pointed out that Bullomun’s height-to-width ratio is irregular.

The researchers noted that the old saying “those who pass through do not age” has also been reinterpreted as “those who touch it do not age,” leading many visitors to stroke the gate as they walk past. They also mentioned that a visible crack in the upper part of the gate indicates poor preservation.

A view of Changdeok Palace at night [JOONGANG ILBO]

The decision to restrict access was made in light of these conditions.

“There are traces of past cracks at the top of Bullomun,” said a Changdeok Palace maintenance official in a phone interview with Yonhap News Agency. “Although preservation work was done about 20 years ago, we are doing it again based on expert consultation.”

“We are restricting access in advance to prevent further damage or contamination,” said the official. “The aim is to maintain the gate’s original cultural value while establishing a long-term foundation for its protection.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE HAY-JUNE [[email protected]]