Pungnammun Gate (Jeonju)

Just west of Jeonju Hanok Village, in the middle of a busy road junction, stands a two-storey gate tower. Jeonju, seat of the Jeolla provincial governor in the Joseon era, was a walled city, and Pungnammun was the south gate of those walls. The walls have long gone, and of the four gates it alone survives to mark where the old city once ended.

History: a south gate burned and rebuilt

Walls with gates on all four sides surrounded Jeonju from early Joseon times, but they were destroyed during the second Japanese invasion in 1597. When the walls and gates were rebuilt in 1734, the south gate was called Myeonggyeollu. It burned down in a great fire in 1767, and the following year, 1768, governor Hong Nak-in rebuilt it and named it Pungnammun.

In 1907, when the walls and gates were pulled down for urban development, Pungnammun was the only survivor. Its bell pavilion and parts of its gun platforms were later removed and its base buried, but a three-year restoration from 1978 brought back its original appearance. It was designated a Treasure in 1963.

What the name means

Pungnam means "south of Pungpae". Pungpae was the home town of Liu Bang, founder of China's Han dynasty, and Jeonju, ancestral seat of the Jeonju Yi clan that founded the Joseon dynasty, was likened to it and called Pungpaejihyang. Hence the south gate was Pungnammun and the north gate Paebungmun.

Jeonju and the Joseon royal family

Jeonju is the ancestral home of the Jeonju Yi clan of Yi Seong-gye, King Taejo, who founded the Joseon dynasty. That is why Gyeonggijeon, which enshrines Taejo's royal portrait, Omokdae, linked by tradition to the clan's origins, and the old Jeonju guesthouse for official visitors all lie close to Pungnammun. Walking from the gate to each of them in turn makes it clear why Jeonju was called Pungpaejihyang.

What to see

• The two-storey tower: the ground floor is three bays wide and three deep, the upper floor three bays wide and one deep, under a hipped-and-gabled roof.
• The columns: the two inner rows of columns on the ground floor continue up to become the corner posts of the upper floor. This is why the upper storey looks suddenly narrower, an arrangement rarely seen in Korean gate architecture.
• Brackets under the eaves: the decorative brackets that hold up the eaves sit only on top of the columns. Look up from in front of the gate to spot them.

Tripto tips

• Access: you can walk around the gate at any time. There is no dedicated car park or toilet, so use the facilities in the Hanok Village.
• Time needed: 15–20 minutes for the gate itself.
• Combine with: Jeondong Cathedral is about 200 m away and Gyeonggijeon Shrine about 300 m, so Pungnammun is a good starting point for a walk through the Hanok Village. Jeonju's Nambu Market is right next to the gate.
• Photos: the pavement across the road gives the best view of the whole tower. Use the pedestrian crossings when crossing.