Korean Bell of Friendship
33°42′34.84″N118°17′37.73″W/ 33.7096778°N 118.2938139°W
| Korean Bell of Friendship | |
 | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 우정의 종 |
| Hanja | Hữu tình 의 chung |
| Revised Romanization | Ujeong-ui Jong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ujŏng'ŭi Chong |
| Designated | May 3, 1978 |
| Reference no. | 187 |
TheKorean Bell of Friendship(more commonly calledKorean Friendship Bell) is a massivebronzebellhoused in a stone pavilion located in Angel's Gate Park, situated in theSan Pedroneighborhood ofLos Angeles, California.Positioned at the intersection of Gaffey and 37th Streets, this section of the park is also referred to as the "Korean–American Peace Park" and occupies a portion of the former Upper Reservation ofFort MacArthur.
Description
[edit]The Korean Friendship Bell is modeled after the Divine Bell ofKing Seongdeok the Great of Silla(also known as theEmille Bell), The Emille Bell was cast in 771 forBongdeok Templeand is currently housed at the National Museum ofGyeongju.Designated asNational Treasure of Koreanumber 29 in 1962, the Emille Bell holds historical significance.[1]It is noteworthy that the Emille Bell is the largest bell ever cast in Korean history, and both the Emille Bell and the Korean Friendship Bell are among the largest bells in the world.
The bell is made of over seventeen tons ofcopperandtin,withgold,nickel,lead,andphosphorusadded to thealloyfortone quality.It has a circumference of 23.8 ft (7.25 m), diameter of7+1⁄2ft (2.3 m), average thickness of 8 in (200 mm), and a height of 12 ft (3.63 m).[2]The exterior surface is richly decorated inrelief,featuring four pairs of figures. Each pair includes a "Goddess of Liberty" (bearing some resemblance to theStatue of Liberty) and aSeonnyeo,or Korean spirit figure, holding the South Korean national symbol: aTaegeuksymbol, a branch ofrose of Sharon,a branch oflaurel,and a dove.[2]
History
[edit]The bell was presented by theSouth Koreangovernment to theUnited Statesto celebrate the bicentennial of the U.S. and to symbolize friendship between the two countries. The effort was coordinated byPhilip Ahn,aKorean Americanactor. It was dedicated on October 3, 1976,[3]and declaredLos Angeles Historic-Cultural MonumentNo. 187 on May 3, 1978.[4]: 16
The bell is struck 13 times on the first Saturday of each month at 11:30 AM.[2]
Beginning in 2010, the bell has been ceremonially struck five times a year:[2][5]
- Dec 31:New Year's Eve
- Jan 13: Korean American Day
- Jul 4:Fourth of July
- Aug 15:Korean Liberation Day
- Sep 17:Constitution Day
It was also rung on September 11, 2002, to commemorate the first anniversary of theSeptember 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.The bell does not have a clapper; instead, it is sounded by striking it with a large wooden log.[2]
The pavilion that houses the bell, known as the Belfry of Friendship, was built by South Korean craftsmen over a period of ten months. Its design istraditional.It is axially symmetric, consisting of a hipped (a.k.a. "pyramidal" ) roof supported by twelve columns representing theKorean zodiac,each column guarded by a carved animal. The color patterning along the bell's pavilion is known in Korean asdancheong.
In 2013, the bell received a full restoration to remove accumulated rust and graffiti tagging,[6]and access to the bell and the pavilion was restricted from September through December. The City of Los Angeles rededicated the Bell during a public ceremony on January 10, 2014, after the KoreanMinistry of Culture, Sports and Tourismcontributed more thanUS$300,000(equivalent to $386,000 in 2023) to hire bell masters for the restoration.[7]
Access to the Bell was closed for more than a year following the start of theCOVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles,[8]reopening in May 2021.[9]
-
Panorama including the belfry -
Dancheongdecoration -
Belfry and plaza -
Korean Liberation Dayceremonies (2019) -
Roof of belfry -
Bell and striker -
Relief detail
Popular culture
[edit]The Korean Friendship Bell is featured in films, television shows, and video games including:
- (1995)The Usual Suspects,as the location of the jewel exchange during the opening scenes.[10]
- (2002) Bollywood movieKaanteshows one of the characters (Andy) walking with his kid in the park, with the belfry in background.
- (1996) American TV seriesProfilerfeatures the bell and its pavilion in theseason 1 episode"Unholy Alliance".[11]
- (2013) A similar pavilion is included in the "Little Seoul" area of Los Santos, a fictional recreation of Los Angeles for the gameGrand Theft Auto V.[12]
- (2015)Lana Del Reyused this location to film the music video for the song "Music to Watch Boys To"[13][14]as has the South Korean rapperZico.[15]
See also
[edit]
- History of the Korean Americans in Los Angeles
- Koreatown, Los Angeles
- List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in the Harbor area
References
[edit]- ^"Sacred Bell of Great King Seongdeok 성덕대왕신종 ( thánh đức đại vương thần chung )".Cultural Heritage Administration,Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.Retrieved22 July2022.
- ^abcde"Korean Bell of Friendship".San Pedro.Retrieved22 July2022.
- ^Littlejohn, Donna (October 4, 2016)."Celebrating 40 years of San Pedro's Korean Friendship Bell".Daily Breeze.Retrieved22 July2022.
- ^Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) List(PDF)(Report). City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning. June 3, 2022.Retrieved22 July2022.
- ^"Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Angels Gate Park".laparks.org.
- ^Stevens, Matt (December 9, 2013)."Traditional craftsmen restore Korean Friendship Bell".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedApril 30,2020.
- ^Chamberlin, Bob; Stevens, Matt (January 11, 2014)."Restored Korean Friendship Bell rings again at ceremony".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved22 July2022.
- ^Marquez, Jennifer (March 25, 2021)."When Will the Pier, Korean Bell, and Fountain Reopen?".San Pedro Today.Retrieved22 July2022.
- ^Littlejohn, Donna (May 18, 2021)."From the fishing pier to lighthouse tours in San Pedro, life slowly resturns to popular tourist spots".Daily Breeze.Retrieved22 July2022.
- ^"The Usual Suspects".Filming Locations of Chicago and Los Angeles.February 2011.Retrieved22 July2022.
- ^"Profiler Seas1Episo3 - Unholy Alliance".www.youtube.com.
- ^loneblustranger (January 12, 2019)."Korean Bell of Friendship in Scapes vs. Little Seoul in GTA V".reddit.Retrieved22 July2022.
- ^"Cole Stroud (@colestroud) • Instagram photos and videos".Retrieved27 November2016.
- ^Lana Del Rey Latest [@DelReyLatest] (April 30, 2015)."The location it was shoot at was in San Pedro @ Korean Bell of Friendship"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
- ^"Instagram video by 지아코 • Nov 17, 2015 at 5:41pm UTC".Retrieved27 November2016.
External links
[edit]
- SanPedro.net: Korean Bell of Friendship and Bell PavilionArchived2017-05-24 at theWayback Machine–panoramic photograph and facts.
- Photo of the day for October 10, 2004ArchivedDecember 17, 2004, at theWayback Machine–photograph of U.S. and South Korean officials ringing the bell inSeoulon June 29, 1976; in"Stars and Stripes" newspaper.