1954 Busan Yongdusan fires
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The Busan Yongdusan fires, also known as the Yongdusan Park Great Fire (Korean: 용두산 공원 대화재; Hanja: 龍頭山公園大火災),[1] was a series of two fires that happened on December 10 and December 26, 1954 around Yongdusan, Busan, South Korea. The two fires resulted in the destruction of hundreds of shanty buildings, along with the evacuation of around 7,420 refugees in total.[1]
The December 26 fire, in particular, caused the loss of around 3,400 historic relics, including historic portraits of kings of the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897). The relics, many of which were considered National Treasures, had been brought to the area for safekeeping during the 1950–1953 Korean War and were kept in a local warehouse owned by the Busan National Music Center. Of the 48 royal portraits kept in the warehouse, 30 were completely lost. The others were recovered in varying conditions, with most being heavily damaged.[2]
Background
During the Korean War, around 1 million refugees arrived in Busan. As the city was previously built to accommodate around 300,000 people, the refugees put a severe strain on the city's resources. Numerous shacks were constructed in close proximity. The shacks were often made from highly flammable materials, including plywood and cardboard boxes. Other factors also contributed to risk of fire, including poor access to water and the use of fire for keeping warm in the winter.[1]
A number of significant fires occurred in Busan before the 1954 Yongdusan fire. For example, cases of great fires occurred on December 5, 1951, January 2, 1952,[1] and January 30, 1953.[3]
Relocation of relics
On September 28, 1950, after Seoul was recaptured during the Second Battle of Seoul,[4] the South Korean government began moving around 4,000 historical relics from the Korean royal family to a storage facility for the Busan National Music Center (부산국악원) in Donggwang-dong (near Yongdusan[5]), Busan. Busan, which was made the provisional capital of South Korea, was further away from the border with North Korea, and thus thought to be safer for the artifacts.[2]
Among these relics were royal portraits from the Changdeokgung Seonwonjeon,[2] items from the National Museum of Korea, items from the Deoksugung Art Museum, volumes of the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty stored at Seoul National University, the Seungjeongwon ilgi, the Records of the Border Defense Council, and the Ilseongnok.[4] Other items included crafts and instruments.[4][2]
These items were protected even through the signing of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement, which froze the conflict. Amidst continued uncertainty about the resilience of the ceasefire, costs of again relocating the artifacts, and the repair efforts underway in Seoul, they continued to keep the artifacts in Busan.[4] In October 1954, National Museum of Korea director Kim Jae-won (김재원; 1909–1990) sent a letter to the Ministry of Education in which he expressed his concerns about the safety of the artifacts from fire, but little was reportedly done in response.[4]
December 10 fire
| First Busan Yongdusan fire | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | 10 December 1954 3:57 a.m. – 6:30 a.m. |
| Location | Donggwang-dong, Jung District, Busan, South Korea |
| Coordinates | 35°06′04.9″N 129°02′01.5″E / 35.101361°N 129.033750°E |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 4 |
| Evacuated | 6,000 |
| Structures destroyed | 448 buildings, 435 shacks |
On December 10, 1954, a fire began in Donggwang-Dong, Jung District, on 3:57 a.m., when Yun Dong-geun (윤동근; 尹東根), a local clothing vendor, mishandled a brick of honeycomb briquette. The fire destroyed around 448 buildings and 435 shacks in the Yongdusan area. Four people died, and 6,000 people were affected by the fire. The fire completely burned down a local church, a hotel, a YMCA center, and a provisional facility belonging to Donggwang Elementary School. The fire went out by 6:30 a.m.[1]
December 26 fire
| Second Busan Yongdusan fire | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | 26 December 1954 6:20 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. |
| Location | Donggwang-dong, Jung District, Busan, South Korea |
| Coordinates | 35°05′58.7″N 129°01′55.4″E / 35.099639°N 129.032056°E |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Evacuated | 1,420 |
| Structures destroyed | 298 shacks |
| Damage | 3.97 million hwan[1] |
At around 6:20 a.m on December 26, 1954, a fire began spreading from an unattended candle lit by a housekeeper on the second floor of a shanty building in Yongdusan. The fire destroyed 298 shanty buildings, affecting 1,420 and killing one. It was extinguished by 11 a.m. After these two fires, most of the shacks on Yongdusan were destroyed.[1]
After the December 26 fire, a fact-finding team was dispatched to Busan. On January 6, 1955, they announced that of around 4,000 relics, around 3,400 were lost. Around 546 relics in varying conditions were salvaged.[4] Of the 48 royal portraits, 30 were lost completely, and 18 were recovered in varying conditions.[2] It is still not known with certainty everything that was lost in the fire; there was a list documenting the items in the collection, but it was destroyed in an arson incident on June 6, 1960 at Changdeokgung, and no copies of it were made.[6][4] Some portraits were recovered in such poor condition that it is uncertain who they are of.[6]
Legacy
The fires are now considered among Busan's largest. The loss of the cultural relics has since been evaluated as a tragedy.[4][5] While other portraits had been previously lost due to Korea's wars, the portraits of King Taejo and King Sejo had survived the 1592–1598 Japanese invasions of Korea, the 1627 Later Jin invasion of Joseon, the 1636–1637 Qing invasion of Joseon, 1910–1945 Japanese colonial period, and 1950–1953 Korean War.[5] Some of the portraits were never copied; for some kings it is reportedly still unknown what they look like.[5]
In 1955, a stone tablet was installed in Yongdusan Park with an inscription of a bujeok. The bujeok was in the form of four Chinese characters meaning "water" (水) surrounding "fire" (火), with text written below which described a yearning for protection from fire.[7]
In 2016, a previously unknown copy of Sejo's portrait made in 1935 appeared in an auction. The portrait was purchased by the National Palace Museum of Korea.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g 차철욱. "용두산 공원 대화재(龍頭山公園大火災) - 부산역사문화대전". Encyclopedia of Korean Local Culture. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
- ^ a b c d e 김석 (June 24, 2020). "화마에 쓸려간 '왕의 얼굴'…전쟁이 남긴 상처". KBS News (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-04.
- ^ 장병윤. "부산 국제 시장 대화재 - 부산역사문화대전". Encyclopedia of Korean Local Culture. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h 이, 재준 (October 2021). "장서각도서의 성립 과정과 전래 경위". 장서각 (in Korean). 46: 186–187. ISSN 1229-7755 – via DBpia.
- ^ a b c d e 유, 석재 (2023-10-11). "[신문은 선생님] [뉴스 속의 한국사] 초상화로 진짜 얼굴 알 수 있는 조선 임금은 4명뿐이죠". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ a b 어, 기선 (June 17, 2024). "[작품속 경제리뷰] 조선 숙종 어진". Financial Review. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ 이상헌 (June 2, 2010). "용두산공원 비석에 '화재 막아달라'부적이…". 부산일보 (in Korean).
External links
- Photos of conditions before and after the fire (text in Korean)
- Photos (text in Korean)