동북아역사재단 2019년 07월호 뉴스레터
The 10-Story Gyeongcheonsa Temple Stone Pagoda was built in Gyeongcheonsa-hyeon, Gaepung-gun, Gyeonggi-do, in 1348, the fourth year of Goryeo’s 29th King Chungmok. It was made of marble, a material that has rarely been found domestically. The pagoda was smuggled out of Korea into Japan in 1909 but was returned to Korea in 1918 due to continuous public demand. The pagoda was erected in the garden of Gyeongbokgung Palace in 1960 but underwent restoration work starting in 1995, having been corroded from air pollution, before being displayed inside the National Museum of Korea in 2005.
Gang Yung, Go Yong-bo, and others built the pagoda to pray for Mongolian emperors’ longevity and good fortune. Its base and first through third stories’ body are shaped as a “亞” Chinese character, displaying by the Mongolian influence, and fourth through tenth stories’ body is shaped as square, offering visitors a view of the unique style that amalgamates the cultural traits of both Goryeo and the Mongolians.
