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Firefighters, cultural administration blamed for failing to save Namdaemun
February 12, 2008
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In their zeal to protect the nation’s top historical landmark, firefighters hesitated to chop into the roof of Namdaemun to stop the fire that destroyed it, the Jung District Office said yesterday in a release. “The firefighters also made the wrong judgment that the fire was almost out and some firefighters even left the scene,” the press release said. The fire, which turned one of the country’s icons into rubble, started before 9 p.m., but the flames did not burst out until after midnight. Also yesterday, the Cultural Heritage Administration and firefighters pointed fingers at each other over a lack of communication after the fire began. Officials at the National Emergency Management Agency claimed its operation was hindered by the delayed communication. According to an official of the Jungbu Fire Station, a taxi driver reported the fire at 8:50 p.m. Sunday. In seven minutes, 99 firefighters were dispatched to the scene. “We kept calling the administration starting at 8:59 p.m., but we couldn’t reach anyone for 30 minutes,” said an official at the fire station. The administration officials claimed the agency first called at 9:30 p.m. Officials from the Cultural Heritage Administration said yesterday they expect it will take two to three years to rebuild the structure. The agency held an insurance policy for fire damage for 95 million won ($101,000), but the repairs are expected to cost more than 20 billion won. Hundreds of people flocked to the site yesterday. Many bemoaned the loss of a symbol of the country’s long history, planted in the heart of a busy intersection in Seoul.
The gate, now a charcoal-gray skeleton, is more than 600 years old. “I feel so devastated. I came here to see Namdaemun with my eyes,” said Jeong Wan-jae, 73, from Seoul. “I could not sleep and watched the TV news until the fire was put out. The gate even survived the Korean War. I cannot understand why the firefighters could not save the gate.” Police said they believe the fire was an act of arson. A taxi driver told police he saw a man in his 50s going into the off-limits second floor of the gate through a stairway on the side. He left a short time later and smoke started pouring out of the structure, the witness said. “Firefighters picked up two lighters and a burning wooden stick in the area,” said Oh Yong-Gyu, an official of the Jung bu Fire Station. “It is highly likely that the fire was caused by arson.” Police, however, were hesitant to confirm the cause, especially because surveillance cameras did not capture any intrusion. “The four surveillance cameras installed around the gate have lots of missing spots that they cannot watch,” said Kim Young-soo, head of Namdaemun Police Precinct. “It is difficult to verify witnesses’ testimony with the video clips taken by the cameras.” The cameras were set up for free on Jan. 31 by KT Telecop, a private security company commissioned by the Jung District Office. “Two were set up in front of the gate, one at the back of the gate and the rest inside the central passageway through which people are allowed to enter,” said Kim. “The cameras did not watch the stairs on both sides of the gate, which a trespasser could climb.”
At first, the fire at the gate, officially called Sungnyemun, did not seem particularly serious. Around 9 p.m., dozens of firefighters climbed to the second floor, where white smoke was pouring out. They found a burning wooden stick and quickly put it out. “At first, I thought the fire was caused by the stick. But then, when I looked up the ceiling, I saw flames and smoke,” said Oh Yong-gyu, the director of the fire station. After getting calls from firefighters, six officials from the Cultural Heritage Administration left their office in Daejeon, 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of Seoul, at 9:30 p.m. By phone, they gave firefighters permission to dismantle the roof of the gate. By 9:40 p.m., the firefighters said the fire was likely to be put out soon. “When the fire seemed to have disappeared, several firefighters went to the second floor of the building,” said Lim, the parking lot manager. “Then, they came back down again and the fire tore out of the second floor.” At 9:55 p.m., firefighters started dismantling the roof of the gate. Around 11 p.m., officials of the administration arrived at the site. At 11:50 p.m., firefighters tore down tiles from the roof and shot water in through the holes. The five-hour-long operation failed at 1 a.m. yesterday, when the roof of the second floor collapsed. “We should have dismantled [the roof] earlier,” sighed a firefighter. At 1:54 a.m., the entire second floor of the gate crumbled and its pieces fell down to the ground. “They should have made a quick decision to give up the roof or the second floor,” said Jeon Bong-hee, professor of ancient construction at Seoul National University. Some claimed that the city government should not have allowed public access to the national treasure. The city government under former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak built a plaza around the gate, which had been isolated and surrounded by roads, in 2005. It opened the central passageway to the public in 2006. “The plaza is a haven for homeless people,” said the owner of an optical store near the gate. “In the summer, they gather at the plaza and drink. I have never seen a security guard around the plaza at night.” By Kim Soe-jung Staff Reporter/ Lee Chung-hyung JoongAng Ilbo [soejung@joongnag.co.kr] |
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