page_title: Gwanghwamun Plaza
section_title: Landmarks
hierarchical_section_title: Gwanghwamun Plaza / Landmarks
caption_attribution_description: English: Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin with the 12.23 Fountain in front at Gwanghwamun Plaza in Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea in 2012
context_page_description: Gwanghwamun Plaza is a public open space on Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The plaza was opened on 1 August 2009 by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and is part of the City's plans for environmentally friendly renovation projects such as the Cheonggye Stream and Seoul Plaza. It is also historically significant as the location of royal administrative buildings, known as Yukjo-geori or Street of Six Ministries; and features statues of Admiral Yi Sun-sin of Joseon Dynasty and King Sejong the Great of Joseon. The goal of opening and reconstructing this plaza is to make it a historical and cultural place for the common citizen.
context_section_description: The Plaza features a water fountain in honor of the achievements of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It is named the 12.23 Fountain, to commemorates the 23 battles he fought with 12 warships, when he led Koreans to victory during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598). The water jets rises to a height of 18 meters along with 300 smaller jets, which symbolize the battles he fought on the sea. It also has a waterway, two centimeters deep and one meter across, at 365 meters along the plaza's east side. The floor of it has 617 stones recording the major events from 1392 to 2008.
  The fountain is located next to the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin. This statue was erected on April 27, 1968. On 9 October 2009, two months after the Plaza opening, a second statue, the 6.2-meter high, 20-ton bronze statue of King Sejong the Great of Joseon was unveiled to the public. It is located 250 meters behind the statue of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It was dedicated on Hangul Day in celebration of the 563rd anniversary of the invention of the Korean alphabet by King Sejong.
  Underneath the statues there is a small exhibition hall and museum about the two historical figures depicted the statues.
caption: Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin with the 12.23 Fountain in front in 2012
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