Jongno-gu will hold a dedication ceremony Monday morning to mark the completion of restoration work on Daeseong-jeon, the main hall of the Seoul Munmyo Confucian shrine and Sungkyunkwan, in a joint event with the Cultural Heritage Administration. District Mayor Yoo Chan-jong will preside over the ceremony, set for 11 a.m.
The ceremony will take place in the forecourt of Daeseong-jeon (53 Myeongnyun 3-ga), marking the end of a 35-month dismantling and repair project that began in September 2023. The event is intended to share the project's findings with the public and recognize the efforts of those involved.
Daeseong-jeon, designated a national treasure, is a symbolic space of Confucian culture enshrining 39 memorial tablets — those of Confucius, four other sages, Confucius's disciples, and 18 eminent Korean scholars. The hall was first built in 1398, the seventh year of King Taejo's reign, but was destroyed during the Imjin War and rebuilt in 1602, the 35th year of King Seonjo's reign.
A 2021 routine monitoring survey by the National Institute of Korean Heritage found that the northeast eave of Daeseong-jeon was gradually sagging, prompting restoration work that began in September 2023 and concluded this month.
During the project, workers preserved as much of the original timber as possible and applied traditional techniques — including handmade roof tiles and historical pigments — to restore the hall's original form and historical integrity.
Among the most significant discoveries was an ink inscription left by carpenters in 1602, as well as a single roof-purlin timber measuring 18.8 meters — the longest of its kind found in Korea. The find offers rare evidence of Joseon-era craftsmanship and the precision of traditional Korean architecture.
Traces of a decorative painting style known as "geut-gi dancheong" were also uncovered above the ceiling panels, believed to predate the 30th year of King Sukjong's reign (1704), providing new leads for research into early Joseon painting.
Researchers also found royal blue "neunghwa-ji" patterned paper and blue-dyed paper among the wallpaper on the ceiling panels. The district plans to begin separating and conserving the wallpaper before the end of this year, with detailed analysis to follow.
Ahead of the dedication ceremony, Sungkyunkwan will conduct a ritual procession beginning at 10 a.m. Monday to return the memorial tablets to their original positions inside the hall.
"This has been a momentous undertaking that allowed us to rediscover the architectural and historical significance of Daeseong-jeon," District Mayor Yoo said. "We will do our utmost to preserve and make use of our national heritage so that this precious history and tradition can be passed on intact to future generations."
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