Making ‘the National Image’ of Korea: From the Shrine of the Joseon Dynasty to the National Memorial of the Republic of Korea

Korea tried to reconstruct its tradition as a modern nation and promote nationalism only in the 1960s, a relatively late period compared to the West. So-called “tradition-making” began by promoting the full-fledged national shrine project to commemorate historical figures in a short period. These national shrines were built in a traditional style and embodied a national image representing Korea. This study analyzed which elements of traditional Korean architecture were selectively adopted for the main hall of Hyeonchungsa, the first national shrine, and discussed how these choices were intertwined with the discourses on Korean architecture at the time by tracing their historical, cultural, and political context. Although the ‘newly invented’ national shrine functionally resembled a Confucian shrine, it favored splendid and magnificent elements on its exterior, a tendency that is well-demonstrated in the shape of its roof, the decoration of the eaves, and the elevation. This style reflects the modern perspective that regarded the roof curve as an essential feature to define the identity of Korean architecture. Additionally, it can be seen as an effort to reevaluate the architectural style of the Joseon Dynasty, which was belittled during the Japanese colonial period. In addition, these national shrines showed an attempt to reproduce the architectural form of the past with modern material–concrete–by actively referring to the drawing data derived from the actual measurement surveys of historical buildings that were carried out vigorously in the early 1960s. Although these buildings have not been valued in academia amid criticism of the political use of traditions, they played a critical role in spreading the “image of Korean tradition”.

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