Heunginjimun Gate - Dongdaemun Gate (흥인지문)

Heunginjimun Gate (Dongdaemun Gate) is the main eastern gate of the Joseon-era Seoul city wall (Hanyangdoseong), built in 1396 with the founding of the Joseon dynasty and rebuilt in its current form in 1869. The gate is one of the four main inner-city gates of old Seoul (alongside Sungnyemun, Donuimun, and Sukjeongmun) and is designated as Treasure No. 1 of South Korea. Architecturally, the gate is distinctive among the four main gates for its semi-circular ongseong (defensive wall) extending forward from the gate's outer face — a defensive feature that no other major Joseon-era Seoul gate retained. The gate stands on a small island in the middle of central Seoul's Dongdaemun-area traffic, surrounded by major shopping districts including the Dongdaemun fashion-and-fabric area. Pairs naturally with the Hanyangdoseong wall walk and central-Seoul historic-and-shopping itineraries.