Bosingak

Bosingak is a large bell pavilion on Jongno in Seoul, South Korea. The bell in Bosingak gives Jongno its name, which literally means "bell street". It was originally constructed in 1396 but destroyed many times by both war and fire. It was designated Bosingak by Emperor Gojong in 1895.

Bosingak
Korean name
Hangul
보신각
Hanja
普信閣
Revised RomanizationBosin-gak
McCune–ReischauerPosin'gak

In the Joseon Dynasty, this bell was at the center of the castle town. The bell was struck to announce the opening and closing of the four gates around Seoul. At 4 am and 10 pm the bell was struck 33 times and gates were opened and closed. It was used as a fire alarm as well.[1] In modern times, the bell is rung only at midnight on New Year's Eve. Because of the massive number of people who attend this ceremony, Metro trains on Line 1 of the Seoul Subway do not stop at Jonggak Station on New Year's Eve.

History

It was in 1398 (the 7th year of King Taejo's reign) that the bell was first hung in Hanyang during the Joseon Dynasty, and a bell that was cast in Gwangju was hung on the west side of Cheongungyo's bell tower.[2]

References
  1. "Bosingak Belfry". Korea Tourism Organization. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
  2. Park, Chan-hwa (2018-01-01). "보신각 종, 33번 치는 까닭은?" [Why does the bell in bosingak is rung 33 times?]. hanmunhwa times (in Korean). Daejeon. Retrieved 2020-11-13.


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