Sunnemun Gate (Gate of High Ceremonies) is the official name of South Korea’s National Heritage No. 1, often called the Namdaemun Gate (Great South Gate). Sunnemun are one of the four main gates of the city wall, built under Li Song, the first king of the Joseon ruling dynasty, in 1395-1398. Important foreign delegations entered the city through these gates, and they were also used as a checkpoint to control the access of foreigners to the city. Namdaemun Gate is a two-story wooden pagoda mounted on a stone platform, in the center of which there is an entrance in the form of an arched opening. The wooden hipped roof consists of two levels, decorated with paintings and rich carvings. In 1907, the Japanese colonial authorities of Korea demolished most of the ramparts surrounding the city center. From the 18-kilometer defensive structure, only the Namdaemun and Dongdaemun gates (East Gate) remained. During the Korean War, the gates of Sunnemun were significantly damaged, in 1961 work began on their restoration, and on December 20, 1962 they were assigned the status of the National Heritage of South Korea No. 1. Huge damage to the historical monument was caused by a fire on February 10, 2008, which almost destroyed the wooden part of the structure. The deliberate arson was committed by a local resident Che Chen-gi. The city dweller was dissatisfied with the amount of monetary compensation paid to him by the developer for the land plot, and thus decided to take revenge on the city authorities. 360 firefighters fought the fire that engulfed the wooden structure, but the flames completely destroyed the structure. Restoration work began in 2009, their budget amounted to 14 million US dollars. After a 5-year reconstruction, on May 4, 2013, the Sunnemun Gate was reopened to the public.