Korean Bell of Friendship

The Korean Bell of Friendship (more commonly called Korean Friendship Bell) is a massive bronze bell housed in a stone pavilion in Angel's Gate Park, in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Located at the corner of Gaffey and 37th Streets, the section of the park is alternatively called the "Korean-American Peace Park" and occupies part of the former Upper Reservation of Fort MacArthur.

Korean Bell of Friendship
Korean name
Hangul
우정의 종
Hanja
友情의 鐘
Revised RomanizationUjeong-ui Jong
McCune–ReischauerUjŏng'ŭi Chong
DesignatedMay 3, 1978
Reference no.187

It is modeled after the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok the Great of Silla (also known as the Emille Bell), cast in 771 for Bongdeok Temple and now located at the National Museum of Gyeongju. The Emille Bell is the largest bell ever cast in Korean history; both are among the largest bells in the world. The bell is made of over seventeen tons of copper and tin, with gold, nickel, lead, and phosphorus added to the alloy for tone quality. It has a diameter of 7½ feet, average thickness of 8 inches, and a height of 12 feet. The exterior surface is richly decorated in relief, featuring four pairs of figures. Each pair includes a "Goddess of Liberty" (bearing some resemblance to the Statue of Liberty) and a Seonnyeo, or Korean spirit figure, holding the South Korean national symbol: a Taegeuk symbol, a branch of rose of Sharon, a branch of laurel, and a dove.

The "Belfry of Friendship" (Ujeong-ui Jonggak), which houses the bell

History

The bell was presented by the South Korean government to the United States to celebrate the bicentennial of the U.S. and to symbolize friendship between the two countries. The effort was coordinated by Philip Ahn, a Korean American actor. It was dedicated on October 3, 1976, and declared Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 187 in 1978.

Beginning in 2010, the bell has been ceremonially struck five times a year: on New Year's Eve, Korean American Day (January 13), the Fourth of July, Korean Liberation Day (August 15), and Constitution Day (September 17).[1] It was also rung on September 11, 2002, to commemorate the first anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The bell is also rung without specific ceremony on the first Saturday of each month at noon, 13 times for the public to enjoy. The bell does not have a clapper; instead, it is sounded by striking it with a large wooden log.

The pavilion that houses the bell, known as the Belfry of Friendship, was built by South Korean craftsmen over a period of ten months. Its design is traditional. It is axially symmetric, consisting of a hipped (a.k.a. "pyramidal") roof supported by twelve columns representing the Korean zodiac, each column guarded by a carved animal. The color patterning along the bell's pavilion is known in Korean as dancheong.

In 2013, the bell received a full restoration to remove accumulated rust and graffiti tagging,[2] and access to the bell and the pavilion was restricted from September through December. The City of Los Angeles rededicated the Bell during a public ceremony on January 10, 2014.


•The Usual Suspects

•Lana Del Rey has used this location to film a music video,[3] as has the South Korean rapper Zico.[4]


See also

References
  1. "Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Angels Gate Park". laparks.org.
  2. Stevens, Matt (December 9, 2013). "Traditional craftsmen restore Korean Friendship Bell". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  3. "Cole Stroud (@colestroud) • Instagram photos and videos". Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  4. "Instagram video by 지아코 • Nov 17, 2015 at 5:41pm UTC". Retrieved 27 November 2016.
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