This park was once the site of the 15th-century Buddhist temple Wongaksa. The word
tap means "
pagoda", and the park gets its name from the
Wongaksa Pagoda, a 10 storied stone pagoda (
National Treasure No.2 One of the monuments in the park is the Monument of Wongaksa built in 1471 to record the founding of Wongaksa (temple) in 1465. On the front is an inscription composed by Kim Suon with the calligraphy done by Seong Im. On the back is found an inscription composed by Seo Geo Jeong with the calligraphy done by Jeong Nam Jong. The
turtle shaped base is constructed from granite and the body is cut from marble. The monument measures 1.3 meters/4.3 feet wide and stands 4.9 meters/16.2 feet in height. Two elaborately carved intertwined dragons rising toward the sky holding a Buddhist gem reside on the top of the monument. Tapgol Park is historically important as the site of the origin of the
March First Movement 1919, an important part of the
Korean independence movement as the first location for the reading of the Proclamation of Independence. There are a number of
bas-relief statues representing Korean national heroes, as well as a monument to independence movement.
Appearance in K -Drama The park is also briefly featured in
Squid Game Season 2 episode 1 “
Bread and Lottery.” In the scene, the recruiter passes out lottery tickets and bread to the homeless there before stamping down the remaining bread. This contrasts the ideals of the Proclamation of Independence against the lived reality of modern day Korea. ==Gallery==