A bad start to the new lunar year. Last night, Korea’s #1 historic treasure, Namdaemoon burnt down! Yes, we know it’s not a celebrity, but the South Gate is one of Seoul’s monumental landmarks. Check out more details at the Chosun.
In other news, the new lunar year brings fresh faces to hawk products…..
Coffee Prince cutie, Yun Eun-hye is the new face for Samsung Zipel refrigerators.
Hope the wink is enough to sell refrigerators.
Kim Tae-hee and her chompers were chosen as the model for luxury condominium development Prugio by Daewoo Construction.
And then there is Kim Jong-il’s crush, Lee Young-ae
And Lee Young-ae models as a queen for the high-end skincare brand by LG cosmetics, Fu (or at least that’s how I think it’s spelt). Based on the concept of “The secret of Fu,” the CF will air in a 4 part series depicting the royal lifestyle.
How amazing it would be if slapping on some cream can make you a queen.
i can’t believe namdaemoon burnt down! that’s so terrible.
oh no, i haven’t been to Korea but have seen many of namdaemoon photos! Was it arson?
I can’t believe Namdaemun burnt down…I learned about it here.
so sad.. T_T it was burnt down, a total SHOCK.
ROFL, that gate symbolizes the Roh Presidency.
How so damn apt! ROFL!
I read from the link given by POPSEOUL that a cab driver saw someone go in with a bag and when he came out the place started to go on fire or sth… So IF that person was responsible for this incident, then i hope he rots in hell.
Wait, they’re blaming the firefighters for not dealing with it correctly?…
Isn’t that kind of like getting shot, and then blaming the doctor for your death because (s)he didn’t save you?
That’s a real tragedy though
Damn that sucks, Namdaemoon was so f*cking nice.
So clearly someone burned it right? Since that taxi driver saw someone go in then the next second it was on fire..
People are such a*ses.
pardon my ignorance but, why is Namdaemoon such an important historical monument? just curious…maybe i should wiki it XD
That is insane!!! and sad…give us more info when it comes.
so sad
i was so shocked wen i heard it
i went there a few mths ago
and it was realli niceee….:(
namdaemoon is where d da chang gum sets isit??
plzz tell me its not.
YEH’s eye isn’t all the way closed…..just thought it looked kind of weird…..
… /wrist
WOW
i cannot believe that namdaemoon is gone….
holy crap
how did it start though?? thats what im wondering about
omg, did they find out who did it?!!? was it a terrorist?!?!
who the puck would do something like that.
anyway lee youngae is gorgeous. she’s a classy woman.
o no…namdaemoon is gone. =[
Dude, what the hell is wrong with people these days. If it was an act of nationalism then f*** that. That gives no one a damn right to go burn down a historical monument that is WELL over 600 years old. It’s like burning down the Statue of Liberty…only it’s 300 years old.
I’m pretty sure it wasn’t an accidental fire. And whoever started it, well, I hope they burn in hell and karma gets back at them.
i was sooo looking forward to seeing Namdaemun on my trip to Korea in october. what a shame that some sicko has taken away something so priceless.
shoot! i cant believe nandaemun burned down! i’m lucky to have seen it last year when i visited korea!
I don’t know much about Namdaemun, but judging by everyone’s reactions. THAT’S REALLY MESSED UP!! T_T
wth!?
WTTTTFFFF$#$@@!! Up to now I can’t believe that it’s gone!!
Terrible. terrible! and what irks me more is seeing EunHye in your Namdaemoon article!!
ughh.
omg!!!! korea’s #1 national treasure..investigators believe that it was due to an arsonist):<
i heard that firemen put out the fire, and then stopped when it stopped flaming, but it burned up again after an hour..so saddd):
OMG, what a nail in the heart. That’s so sad.
By the way, Lee Yong Ae looks like a queen anyways. She’s so elegant.
I don’t have words. This is so sad.
I’m just grateful I got to see a nation’s beautiful treasure with my own eyes when I visited last July.
Sigh. The fleetingness of things.
This was such a tragedy. I can’t even imagine the mourning South Korea must be going through right now.
that is so horrible. i can’t believe someone would actually do such a thing. >_<
Now how does that happen. 6 CENTURIES OLD!!!!!!!
tsk. tsk. tsk….
TORCH THE PERSON WHO STARTED IT!!!!
>< anyway, that was really sad, and my heart goes out for the people all the way in SK.
yeah.
OMG ! I can’t believe someone burned Namdaemoon down !! TT^TT It was such an amazing place and so old !! It was part of Korea , and now it’s gone !!!!! D:
I hope they’ll catch the bastard that did this ! I’m about to cry ! D: This was part of our history , and now it’s gone !!!
Korea already doesn’t have a lot of history remains because of Japan. And now this psycho goes burns down the last of it? lol.
This on top of part of their coastline being destroyed from that oil spill which they are still trying to recover from …
Korea has been through a lot the past few months. I really love Korea and my heart goes out to the people there. News report I read said they arrested a 70 year old man they suspect of setting the fire. They also reported that Koreans are weeping openly in the streets over their beloved Namdaemun Gate. This gate was more than just an object of historical significance. It was also a symbol of Korea’s endurance through a civil war and several foreign invasions.
I know this is a place for Korean entertainment news, but mad props to Popseoul for bringing news that, even though we enjoy news about our favorite stars, really matter in the world. Thanks and I look forward to more coverage like this. Truly a terrible incident that Namdaemoon burned down…
Yes I as well thank you for posting about NAmeDaeMoon.
Very wierd. I doubt whoever was behind it all was Korean since they’re very patriotic and they wouldn’t burn down their own historical buildings… Well whoever it is, they’re gonna get so much crap… Must suck xD
~*~*OMG…I can’t believe someone would burn down Namdaemoon.
I hope who ever did this gets diarrhea and more. I was so looking forward to visiting this historical site but some selfish bastard had to go and ruin it for everyone else and for their country (if he is even from South Korea)…what a jerk. O.K. I fell a tad better now that I have vented. Thanks POPSEOUL! for the news. *~*~
*feel
i love lee yung ae’s dress for sure
i’m so sad to hear Namdaemoon burned down TT
i hope they get the person who did this real soon.
it’s just stupid to do such a thing, to your own country.
i’m not korean but still, i’m sorry to hear this…
Ms Lee looks a lot slimmer. Even her face is less chubby.
I feel really sorry for the Korean people. The arsonist sure should be punished! Good it was surveyed and can be rebuilt….
Since I am not Korean, I hope my following question isn’t offensive to anybody, but judging from the picture, Namdaemun was in the middle of a big traffic rotary. Given this is the No. 1 national treasure, why didn’t the government do anything about protecting it in the first place? How could anybody get in at night?
that’s incredibly sad..ive been looking at pictures of the building like 2-3 months ago..that’s so sad.. 600 years.. to tell you honestly, i wish it was just an accident, cause i cant believe someone can do that, especially a korean
to lose a country’s heritage is terribly devastating. i was planning to visit that place in the future. :S
^@Mo–I would think it’s a little like Paris’ Arc de Triomphe. It’s also in the middle of a big traffic rotary. They probably have mad security… or at least they should have had mad security. But I’d think it is the same type of symbolic structure–as well as a hot tourist spot.
This is so sad..a big part of Korea’s history was destroyed just like that, Koreans love their country and to lose such important treasure like Namdaemoon is a great loss..if someone really intentionally set it on fire is just pure evil..
that’s so bad I saw it on Chilean news too!
omg~~~ I can’t believe Namdaemoon was burned down.TT.TT
PopSeoul…I am normally an ardent fan of your blog but I can’t believe you just glossed over the news about NamDaeMoon…what a tragedy. I think it deserved more than 2 lines and a link, don’t you?
WHAT THE!!!! Namdaemoon!?!?!? ommgggg!! who the hell!?!? i hope they catch that loser and let him rot in jail!
Namdaemonn??!! omg…
I just watched the YTN news right now - some guy is sent to jail for setting the monument on fire >:o
How. sad T^T
Apparently, a septuagenarian admitted that he set the monument on fire. He even set a fire on a .. some building before in 2006… And his reason was that he wanted to attract attention because something something. Argh, I’m bad at expressing. ,_, read about it at k-popped.com
the douchebag that set that fire should be burnt
how can you do something like that to like a national treasure
maybe kim jong il can make lee young ae a queen of north korea
Damn. Can’t believe it burned down. Let’s not jump to conclusions. There is a whole litany of ways that monument could have burned down. It’s still tremendously lame. It’s equivalent to the White House burning down (again) for America, or the Wall of China breaking into pieces for China.
Namdaemun gate was burnt down ! I read it on the net yday and I was having goosebumps !!! Just looking at the burnt down site makes me saddd. I would have love to see it when I come to Korea… hopefully it will be restored soon T.T
Lee Youngae looking class as always..
Namdaemoon burnt down, I’m in SHOCK!!
I’m not korean, but when I heard the news I cried.
ok. if this is Korea’s National Treasure No.1, then where is the security? I say it’s the government’s fault!
I mean if namdaemun was truly “treasured” by the government (which it probably isn’t), Namdaemun would have security guards. Or security cameras, at least.
AND in addition, Korea’s emergency response is hella slow. I know because when I saw an emergency being called here, it took at least an hour for the appropriate people to come and actually START to handle the situation.
Korea’s government ought to learn from this. It needs to be more aware of cultural values as well…
lol this is reallly sad…thank god i went there last year XD ohhh but thres also a dongdaemun rite? watch out ppl mite burn tht one too T_T whoever did it is really selfish…and ignorant.
It’s simply one of the greatest tragedies of Korean history brought upon by one of the worst negligences by Korean leaders.
On a side note, I saw a picture of smiling, young Japanese tourists in front of the ruined Namdaemoon at the Korean Broadcasting System website. Why were they smiling and was it appropriate?
“I won’t say that this is true for everyone, especially in today’s society where it’s a more internation society”
*I meant INTERNATIONAL society
it was arson. it was a 70 year old korean, who set it on fire to bring more attention this cause… something about land. i wish he was in front of me, so i could…. nevermind. there are plans to build a new one. with all the stuff that disappeared from the japanese occupation, the korean war, it was one of the national landmarks that survived, and was in our possession. with the oil spillage in mallipo beach, and this, korea lost two national treasures.
OMG yeah I saw the news of it burning down !! It was a real pity it burned down .. it’s a part of history and I HAVEN’T EVEN GO TO SEOUL AND TOOK A PICTURE IN FRONT OF IT YET !!!!!
Fortunately, according to the latest report by Chosun Daily, the first level of the wooden structure incurred minimal damage, so all was not completely damaged by fire. It will be a half-reconstruction/half-restoration process which will take at least five years to complete carefully and faithfully, but well worth the wait. It is, after all, a 610-year old landmark that is being repaired.
Oouh! I was shocked when i saw the news in CNN. it was terribly sad. I haven’t taken a picture there when i visited seoul last december T_T
OMG Namdaemoon burnt down!!!
0.0 I sooo only took a photo of that last month.
Mum was all oooh pretty culture things and was using the picture as her MSN display image.
Im kind of amazed I saw it and now its gone.
Survived war after war and was taken out by fire… wow!!!
the criminal is an old baba (lady) T_T