Gyeongcheonsa Ten-Story Pagoda is the first marvel pagoda in Korea. Location: Gyeongcheonsa Ten-Story Pagoda originally stood in Gyeongcheon Temple near Gaeseong, in today’s Gaepung-gun area, just outside North Korea’s Gaeseong city, close to the current inter-Korean border region in the mid-Korean Peninsula. Who made it: On the first story of the pagoda, there is an inscription that tells us exactly who sponsored and why they built it. It was built by two powerful court officials named Kang Yung and Go Yong-bo . why they made it: To understand this pagoda, we need to look at Goryeo’s dangerous politics in the 14th century. At that time, Goryeo was heavily controlled by the Mongol Yuan dynasty. The two powerful officials who built it gained wealth by cooperating closely with the Mongols. They dedicated this magnificent pagoda to Empress Ki, a Goryeo woman who had been taken to the Mongol Yuan dynasty as a tribute girl but later rose to become empress. So this wa...
Gyeongcheonsa Ten-Story Pagoda is the first marvel pagoda in Korea.
Location: Gyeongcheonsa Ten-Story Pagoda originally stood in Gyeongcheon Temple near Gaeseong, in today’s Gaepung-gun area, just outside North Korea’s Gaeseong city, close to the current inter-Korean border region in the mid-Korean Peninsula.
Who made it:
On the first story of the pagoda, there is an inscription that tells us exactly who sponsored and why they built it. It was built by two powerful court officials named Kang Yung and Go Yong-bo.
why they made it:
To understand this pagoda, we need to look at Goryeo’s dangerous politics in the 14th century.
At that time, Goryeo was heavily controlled by the Mongol Yuan dynasty. The two powerful officials who built it gained wealth by cooperating closely with the Mongols.
They dedicated this magnificent pagoda to Empress Ki, a Goryeo woman who had been taken to the Mongol Yuan dynasty as a tribute girl but later rose to become empress.
So this was not simply a religious monument. It was also a political message: “We are protected by the most powerful woman in the empire.”
A Vertical Journey to Heaven.
This pagoda is 13.5 meters tall and has ten stories. Most Korean stone pagodas have an odd number of stories—usually three or five—so this ten-story design is highly unusual. because odd numbers represent positive "Yang" energy in Asian philosophy. So, why does this one have exactly 10 stories?
The answer lies in the ultimate goal of Buddhism. While odd numbers represent good energy, the number 10 is not just an even number; in Buddhist philosophy, it symbolizes "absolute perfection" and the completion of enlightenment. By building a 10-story pagoda, the creators were not just stacking stones—The 10 floors symbolize a sacred rise from the human world upward into the Buddhist world.
Shape-Shifting: From Chaos to Order
If you look closely at the carvings, the pagoda is actually designed like a vertical storybook. you must pass the fierce protectors at the bottom to reach the peaceful heavens at the top.
If you look at the base and the first three floors, they have that very complex, jutting, cross-like shape ("亞"). Because this complex, protruding shape was the signature style of Lamaist (Tibetan) Buddhism, which was extremely popular in the Mongol Empire. Once again, the very footprint of the pagoda proves the heavy political influence of the Yuan Dynasty!
And at the 4th floor, the pagoda suddenly slims down and becomes a perfect, simple square.
Why the sudden change? This is brilliant architectural storytelling. The complex, jagged shape of the lower floors represents the chaos and suffering of the human world (the earthly realm).
Why the sudden change? This is brilliant architectural storytelling. The complex, jagged shape of the lower floors represents the chaos and suffering of the human world (the earthly realm). However, the clean, simple square shape of the 4th floor and above represents the unchanging, ultimate truth of the heavenly realm. It visually tells us: You have left the chaotic earth and entered pure Nirvana.
The Vertical Heavens: A VIP Apartment
So, who lives in these upper square floors? If you look closely at the carvings from the 4th to the 10th floor, you will see groups of Buddhas gathered together. Think of it like a luxury vertical apartment building, where each floor is a different Buddhist Heaven (or "Assembly").
For example, one floor shows the Buddha of the Future (Maitreya) preaching in his heaven. Another floor shows the Buddha of the Western Paradise (Amitabha) welcoming souls. The sculptors literally carved different chapters of famous Buddhist texts into each level. As you look higher, you are seeing different visions of paradise stacked on top of one another.
Why is a Stone Pagoda Kept Indoors? (2005–Present)
In 1907, a Japanese court official named Tanaka Mitsuaki saw the pagoda in Gaeseong, fell in love with it, and illegally smuggled it to Japan, dismantling it piece by piece.
When the pagoda was being dismantled for smuggling, the local residents of Gaeseong were absolutely furious. They strongly protested to protect their cultural heritage, but unfortunately, their voices were completely ignored by the powerful Japanese officials.
At the time, two brave foreign journalists were living in Korea: Ernest Bethell from the UK and Homer Hulbert from the US. When they witnessed this cultural crime, they refused to stay quiet. They immediately wrote scathing articles in their newspapers, exposing the illegal smuggling of the Gyeongcheonsa Pagoda to the entire world.
Their reporting acted as a powerful catalyst. The articles sparked massive international outrage, putting immense global pressure on Japan. Faced with this intense criticism from the international community, Japan was eventually forced to return the pagoda 10 years later, in 1918.
The Man Who Did It All for Joseon
By the way, speaking of Homer Hulbert—the American who helped save this pagoda—he wasn't just a secret envoy. He was a man who truly gave his entire life to Korea's education and independence!
- He was actually Korea's very first modern middle school teacher. He also founded the Seoul YMCA, which is incredibly important because that is where Western sports like basketball and baseball were introduced to the Korean people for the very first time. On top of all that, he even ran the publishing company that printed The Independent (Dongnip Sinmun), Korea's first private newspaper, giving the Korean people a powerful voice.
Why did a British man risk his life for a country that wasn't his own?
A:
Bethell originally came simply to report on the Russo-Japanese War. However, witnessing the brutal and unjust way the Japanese military treated innocent Korean civilians deeply moved his journalistic conscience. He genuinely viewed Korea as his second home and believed that the world needed to know the truth. Bethell was buried at the Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery in Seoul.
The Japanese colonial government hated him so much that, even after his death, they secretly chiseled away the words on his gravestone that praised his fight for Korean independence. The mutilated monument still stands there today as a testament to his monumental impact. After Korea was liberated in 1945, the assets and printing facilities of the colonial Maeil Sinbo were taken back by Koreans, who rebranded it as Seoul Shinmun.
Today, Seoul Shinmun is one of South Korea's major daily newspapers.
When the pagoda was returned to Korea in 1918, it was heavily damaged. For decades, it sat dismantled on the grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Marble is extremely vulnerable to acid rain and pollution. Because Korea's modern industrialization brought air pollution, the delicate carvings on the marble were literally melting away outside.
To save it, scientists spent a full 10 years (1995 to 2005) meticulously restoring it using lasers and modern conservation techniques. When the new National Museum of Korea opened in 2005, the pagoda was placed safely indoors in a specially designed, climate-controlled hallway.