Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin
Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin is located at the Gwanghwamun Plaza in Seoul, South Korea. It is dedicated to the 16th century Korean war hero, admiral Yi Sun-sin. It is considered one of Seoul's major landmarks and has been called "one of the most important instances of Korean public art".[1][2]
The statie is 17 meters tall and made from bronze. It depicts a standing figure of te admiral, who is holding a sword in his right hand. A miniature turtle ship, a type of contemporary Korean war vessel commanded by Yi Sun-sin, is also located in front of the statue. Two models of war drums are also present near the statue.[3]
This statue was erected on April 27, 1968.[3] It was designed by Kim Se-jung (Seechong, 1928-1986), a sculptor and professor of art at Seoul National University, aided by the historians from the National Institute of Korean History. It was the first statue built by the Statue Establishing Committee led by Kim Jong-pil[2] who was asked by President Park Chung Hee: “Build a statue of a person most feared and admired by the Japanese in the Sejong-no intersection.”[4] The raising of the statue, also a part of a renovation of the Gwanghwamun Plaza, was one of the symbols of modernization and rebuilding of Korea.[5]
In November 2010, the statue was removed for 40 days to undergo restoration works. Moving for the first time in 42 years, it was lifted by a 200-ton crane and transported to a factory in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. It underwent sand-blasting to remove rust, accumulated grime such as from roadside pollution; and repainted before returning to the Plaza.[6][7] Other works included fortifying the inner skeleton and the restored statue was unveiled to the public on 23 December 2010.[8] During the time the statue was being renovated, it was replaced by 3 m long, 3 m wide and 6 m high rectangular column displaying life-size photos of the statue.[6] Throughout its four decades, the statue color has changed from bronze to deep green hue and it was decided the renovated statue would be a mix of both colors.[8] During the renovation, Korean public and historians also debated whether whether his face, sword or armor (the last two criticzed by some for being too Chinese or Japanese, and not enough Korean) are accurately represented
Next to the statute there is also a water fountain in honor of the achievements of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It is named the 12.23 Fountain, to commemorates the 23 battles he fought with 12 warships, when he led Koreans to victory during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598). The water jets rises to a height of 18 meters along with 300 smaller jets, which symbolize the battles he fought on the sea.[9]
References
- ^ Glionna, John M. (2010-12-12). "South Koreans at sword's point over hero's statue". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
- ^ a b Brown, Rebecca M.; Hutton, Deborah S. (2015-06-22). A Companion to Asian Art and Architecture. John Wiley & Sons. p. 171. ISBN 9781119019534.
- ^ a b "Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin (충무공 이순신 동상) | Official Korea Tourism Organization". english.visitkorea.or.kr. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
- ^ "Korea's statues without limitations". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
- ^ "Ever-evolving Gwanghwamun to be altered anew". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2017-03-10.
- ^ a b "Adm. Yi Statue to Undergo Facelift". Chosun Ilbo. 15 November 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
- ^ "Rejuvenated Hero". Chosun Ilbo. 8 December 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
- ^ a b "Restored Statue of Admiral Yi Returned to Gwanghwamun". Chosun Ilbo. 24 December 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- ^ Lee, Ji-young (9 September 2009). "Fountains spring to life as city centerpieces". Joongang Daily. Retrieved 27 February 2013.