Gwangyang 'Ssangsaja Stone Lantern Restoration' Gains 50,000 Signatures

Signature Milestone of '50,000 People' Celebration Ceremony Held

On the 12th, at City Hall Grand Conference Room

Gwangyang City in Jeollanam-do announced that it will hold a commemorative ceremony with citizens at 2 p.m. on the 12th in the city hall’s main conference room to celebrate reaching 50,000 signatures in the citywide petition campaign for the “Restoration Project of the National Treasure Gwangyang Junheungsanseong Twin Lion Stone Lantern,” which was selected as the “Gwangyang City Hometown Love Donation System No. 1 Fund Project.”

The ceremony celebrating the achievement of 50,000 signatures in just six months, thanks to the active participation of the Restoration Promotion Committee and social organizations, will include congratulatory performances, promotional video screenings, progress reports, and the reading of the petition for restoration. Any citizen of Gwangyang can participate.

[Image provided by Gwangyang-si]

Since the proclamation ceremony last December, Gwangyang City has been promoting the movement to reclaim our local cultural heritage and build social consensus among citizens regarding the restoration project by conducting a citywide petition campaign, promotional campaigns, and a program recreating the Twin Lion Stone Lantern in ceramics.

Furthermore, the city plans to continue advancing the National Treasure Gwangyang Junheungsanseong Twin Lion Stone Lantern restoration project through future test excavations and academic seminars.

Jung In-hwa, mayor of Gwangyang City, said, “Cultural heritage has authenticity and shines brightest when it is in its original place,” adding, “I am grateful to the many citizens who participated in the citywide petition campaign to bring the proud Twin Lion Stone Lantern of Gwangyang back to the citizens as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, the National Treasure Gwangyang Junheungsanseong Twin Lion Stone Lantern left Gwangyang during the Japanese colonial period in 1931 and was moved in 1932 to the front of Jagyeongjeon Hall in Gyeongbokgung Palace. After liberation, it was relocated to Gyeongmudae in 1959, Deoksugung Palace in 1960, and was designated as National Treasure No. 103 in 1962. Later, it was displayed in the outdoor garden of the National Museum of Korea in 1986, then moved to the National Gwangju Museum in 1990, where it remains today.