In yet another addition to the “nothing lasts forever” department, South Korea’s top national treasure was destroyed in a fire last night, the International Herald Tribune reports. The Sungnye Gate — or “Great South Gate” — was built in 1398 (94 years before Columbus’s arrival in the “new world”) as the southern entryway into the then-walled capital of Seoul.
And it took but one night of fire to do what invading Japanese and Chinese armies couldn’t, despite centuries of takeovers: burn the Korean treasure beyond repair. Foul play is suspected, though no suspects have been named.
