Namwon Gwanghallu, the setting of the late Joseon-era pansori and novel "Chunhyangjeon," has become a National Treasure.
The Korea Heritage Service announced Monday that it had designated "Namwon Gwanghallu," located in Namwon, North Jeolla Province, as a National Treasure among state-designated cultural heritage. The move marks an elevation after 63 years, following its designation as a "Treasure" in 1963.
The Korea Heritage Service explained, "Namwon Gwanghallu is a wooden architectural heritage that combines the ornate decoration characteristic of late Joseon wooden architecture with practical elements such as the ondol floor heating of the wing pavilion and the stairs of the wolrang corridor. Along with its value in architectural history, it possesses outstanding artistic value in harmony with the garden remains of Gwanghalluwon, which is designated as a Scenic Site."
"Namwon Gwanghallu" is a large government pavilion representing the Honam region in the late Joseon period, and is called "Honam Jeilru," meaning the finest pavilion in Honam. Its origin is Gwangtongnu, built by Hwang Hui (1363–1452), a prime minister of the early Joseon period, who was exiled to Namwon. It was a place where officials held banquets and poetry gatherings. The surrounding lake, three islands (Bongnae, Bangjang, and Yeongju), and the Ojakgyo bridge were constructed by Jeong Cheol (1536–1593), the Jeolla Provincial Governor known by his pen name Songgang, and Jang Ui-guk, the magistrate of Namwon.
The pavilion was later destroyed by fire during the Jeongyu War of 1597 and was rebuilt to its current scale in 1626 (the fourth year of King Injo) by Namwon magistrate Shin Gam (1570–1631), undergoing several repairs thereafter. Related records are clearly found in ridge-beam inscriptions, chronicles, local gazetteers, and modern newspaper articles, and it has maintained its roughly 400-year history without major changes. The service explained that it holds high historical value as a structure that has accumulated the continuous participation and efforts of the local community.
It was also used as a government pavilion where officials and scholars gathered to compose poetry and prose. Along with its beautiful surrounding scenery, it served as a space that inspired many literary figures, and as an architectural heritage that became the backdrop of "Chunhyangjeon," a representative pansori and novel of Korea's Joseon period, it also holds exceptional cultural and historical value.
Gwanghallu's structure consists of the main pavilion, a wing pavilion (Yoseongak), and the wolrang corridor. The main pavilion is five kan across the front and four kan on the side, with a hip-and-gable roof, and three beams are overlapped to make wide use of the interior space. The bracket set is of the ikgong style, ornately carved with dragons and turtles. The wing pavilion (Yoseongak) is three kan across the front and two kan on the side, with a five-purlin hip-and-gable roof, and an ondol room is installed at its center. Its bracket set is a single-ikgong choigong style, engraved with blue and yellow dragons on the interior and exterior.
The wolrang, composed of one kan across the front and three kan on the side with a hip-and-gable roof, was built in 1881 (the 18th year of King Gojong) to prevent the main pavilion from tilting backward, and serves as the staircase leading up to the main pavilion. Its bracket set is of the i-ikgong style, and an ornately carved dragon head is installed above the corner columns.
