Heunginjimun Gate

Great East Gate of Seoul's historic Joseon-era city wall — distinctive for its semicircular outer wall, now preserved in the heart of downtown Seoul.

Heunginjimun, popularly known as Dongdaemun — the Great East Gate — is one of the original four great gates of Seoul's Joseon-era city wall. The first gate was built in the fourteenth century under King Taejo, founder of the Joseon dynasty; the current structure dates from a reconstruction in the late nineteenth century. Unlike the other great gates, Heunginjimun features a semicircular outer defensive wall — an architectural detail that sets it apart from its counterparts. Although Seoul has grown up around it and the gate now stands in the heart of the city centre, it still conveys something of the character of a historic city entrance. It is one of the few fully preserved structures from the Joseon era in modern Seoul.