fire in the new year

sunday evening everyone in Korea was gearing up to get back to regular routines on monday, after five days of vacation to celebrate Seollal or the Chinese New Year. however, sunday night put a damper on any of the lingering happiness from Seollal celebrations and family gatherings when 600 year old Namdaemun the number 1. national treasure was set fire. Although they have witnesses who may have seen the person responsible for the arsonist act; no one specific has been identified.

Koreans are devastated because Namdaemun was one of the few large lasting structures of the dynasty period that wasn't destroyed during Japanese occupation or the Korean War.

I can't imagine why someone would want to set fire to a structure that while it is of great historical importance, is really no concern to the every day public. To do such a thing for shits and giggles seems absurd, but why would one plan to do this either? Do you wake up one morning and decide "I want to burn a historical monument?" or "I want to devastate others because i'm fucked up?" I too am upset at this tragedy because even though Namdaemun means nothing to me, it means something to the people I'm surrounded by on a daily basis, and the fact that it just doesn't make sense.

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