Students from Sungkyunkwan University led docent tours at Tapgol Park in Seoul's Jongno District, allowing visitors close access to the 10-story stone pagoda for the first time in 27 years. The pagoda has been enclosed in glass since the late 1990s. The Jongno District Office supported the program as part of park improvement efforts.
Seoul's Tapgol Park in Jongno District opened its 10-story stone pagoda of Wongak Temple (National Treasure No. 2) for close public viewing after 27 years. Students from Sungkyunkwan University's S-Global Challenger program, team 'Yeoksa Jom Ail' including Yang Seo-yeon and Park Gyeong-eun, conducted 18 docent tours in early March, guiding 270 visitors, with 90 spots reserved for local residents.
The students spent a year researching the park's history, interviewing professors and researchers from institutions like the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, and conducting fieldwork in Dublin, Ireland. They proposed a citizen docent program, piloted in December 2025, which the Jongno District Office's Cultural Heritage Division commissioned this year.
Built in 1467 as part of Wongak Temple, the pagoda lost its top three stories during the Imjin War in the 1590s, restored in 1946 with a U.S. naval officer using a military crane. It suffered vandalism after World War II fencing removal, with barriers reinstated in 1948 via a donation from citizen Lee Jung-hwa. A 21.5 mm thick glass enclosure was added in the late 1990s for protection against pollution and damage.
Jongno District (head Jeong Mun-heon) secured 100 million won jointly from national and municipal funds to plan restoration with the Korea Heritage Service. Park upgrades include relocating baduk and janggi games and designating an alcohol-free zone. Tour participants descended a ladder into the enclosure to examine dragon carvings and Buddha preaching scenes up close.
Tapgol Park has served as a gathering spot for seniors since the 1990s IMF crisis, now undergoing revitalization.
