There was shock and disbelief Monday morning when the nation¡¯s No.1 national treasure and Seoul¡¯s most distinctive landmark, the 600-year-old Sungnyemun a.k.a Namdeamun or South Gate, was completely razed by fire.
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A man walks past as firefighters try to extinguish a fire at Sungyemun in central Seoul on Monday./REUTERS
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A high school student just kept repeating, ¡°It¡¯s devastating.¡± He said, ¡°I came here by taxi with my parents after watching the news on TV.¡± People were crying and shouting around the gate when roof tiles fell and the second floor started collapsing at 12:40 a.m., four hours after the fire broke out. A pillar of flame rose from the roof of the second floor amid thick smoke. A Japanese tourist said, ¡°It¡¯s terrible. I came here after seeing smoke at a nearby hotel. It would be unimaginable in Japan. Isn't it the no.1 national treasure in Korea?¡±
A woman holding her teenage daughter and son in her arms said, ¡°I¡¯m devastated to see a national treasure fall at the start of the New Year.¡± Yoo Hae-shin, a taxi driver, said, ¡°I¡¯ve been watching the fire for four hours. A national treasure represents the country. It¡¯s infuriating that there was no one to guard the gate.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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