Crack Found in Seal of Korea

The Seal of Korea , used to authenticate foreign documents, medals and other official documents, will be changed in the near future because of a crack that could make the seal prone to breakage.

An official at the Board of Audit and Inspection said on September 22, “We requested the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute make a thorough inspection of the seal and found that the crack reached the inner depth of the seal. We plan to turn in a report with the results and recommend to the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs that the seal be changed.”

The current seal, made of gold and engraved with a phoenix, has been used since February 1999.

The face of the seal is 10.1 cm by 10.1 cm and is engraved with “Republic of Korea” in Korean. It weighs 2.15kg, and costs 50 million won to make.

Hyung-June Park lovesong@donga.com