[Opinion] Gwanghwamun

A poet in the end of 20th Century once wrote that people went to Apgujeong-dong when it was windy. In the 21st Century, people go to Gwanghwamun. Remember the month of June when red-clad supporters shouted and cried out of joy on the streets of Gwanghwamun. In December, it was a sea of candles as people lit the candles to mourn the death of two young schoolgirls killed by U.S. armored vehicle. And there were yellow balloons at the night the country chose a new president for the next five years. Just like the name of the place, which means `light turns into a gate,` the square of Gwanghwamun becomes a place that turns our dreams into light to invite everyone of us.

▷During the 1970s, Yoido Square was a theater for military regimes where they mobilized a great number of people to justify their rule. In 1987, men wearing ties flocked to the square in front of City Hall to call for democracy in this country. Throughout the history, Gwanghwamun Intersection is a place symbolizing the power of a ruler. Since King Taejo built Gyeongbok Palace and Gwanghwamun, a pompous parade of a king was often held here, and young scholars sometimes presented a proposal to their great king. Royal guards fought against Japanese assassins sent to kill the Queen Myungsung. Late Incheon Kim Sung-soo built the Donga-ilbo building here in Gwanghwamun to watch moves made by the Japanese governor’s residence.

▷As such, Gwanghwamun was a place characterized by authoritarianism and cars running fast. It looked too heavy to get close, with the government complex, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Ministry of Culture & Tourism building and the American Embassy to Korea standing nearby. While the streets from Jongro to Chungjeonro was for run-of-the-mill people and the young, the streets from Gwanghwamun to City Hall was uncomfortable place that reminded people of the authoritarian rule and foreign invasions. It has now turned into a symbol of people’s power, however. Filled with great energy of people, it now says that the real power is at the hands of people.

▷With the penetration of the Internet, people can communicate with the entire world out there without leaving their rooms. Yet, people love to meet others face to face. A large-sized high-definition TV at home is not like a huge screen installed in Gwanghwamun, where young and old people become one and people with different views stand side by side. Gwanghwamun is a place for all the people in this country. Hope we can have more fun, happiness and festivity here in 2003.

Kim Sun-deok, Editorial Writer, yuri@donga.com