Independence Gate

This stone arch in the Seodaemun district was built in 1897 to symbolise the country's independence and reform after centuries of tributary relations. Modelled loosely on European triumphal arches, it replaced an older gate where envoys had once been received, marking a deliberate assertion of sovereignty. It stands near the site of a former prison where independence activists were held under colonial rule, adding weight to its meaning. Set within a memorial park, the gate is one of the earliest monuments of the modern national movement.