A clock tower that has been installed at the plaza in Seoul Station, the starting station of KTX, is turning out to be a new tourist attraction. The clock tower is in the style of a janggu, a traditional Korean drum, in a modernized form, and portrays a traditional image of the musical instrument.
A special feature is the bell at the center of the tower, which is a miniature of the Emille Bell and rings three times at the top of the hour. In addition, the clock, installed with GPS, is designed to display extremely the time very accurately. Thus the clock tower is expected to be beneficial for train passengers and become a prominent symbol of the Seoul Station.
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Here is an interesting note about the original Emille Bell represented here.
The famous Emille Bell is housed in an individual pavilion in the right yard of Kyongju National Museum. Its official name is the Divine Bell of King Seongduk but it is nicknamed after the legend that a baby girl cried for "emille," or mommy after being putting in to the molten bronze. It used to be stricken thirty three times at the turn of a new year but ringing the bell is now forbidden to protect it; unfortunately the actual bell tune with solemn but delicate, long resonance is never to be heard any more.
This bell is the largest Korean bell so far preserved.
The quality and artistic devel -opment of Korean bell making has been recognized world -wide and must be ranked among the proudest examples of Korea's cultural achieve -ments. The apex of this development was reached during Silla Kingdom and the most perfect example is this Emille bell. The technique of making its connecting pin has remained a mystery.
The Emille is 10 feet high and 7 and a half feet in diameter. (Often the dragon hook is measured which gives an additional foot.) Now the largest in the world is the 20 foot Moscow bell, but the Emille bell is one thousand years older, more beautiful and infinitely more graceful. The strong solemn tone reputedly can be heard as far as 40 miles on a clear crisp night.
The purpose of the hollow tube protruding from the top is to amplify the tone. Korean bells can be heard at unusually long distances. When the bell was struck on the side with a wooden log on a chain the sound would echo from the clay vessel.
From this echo chamber the sound would be transmitted through the tube at the top. The Emille Bell embodies the characteristics of the ancient Korean bronze bells.
Though now we call this bell the Emille Bell of Bongduksa, the actual name is engraved on its surface. "Great King Sungduk's Divine Bell" is the name inscribed though people still refer to this bell as Emille.
Legend has it that it could ring by throwing the artisan's beloved little daughter into the melted bronze as a sacrifice after numerous repeated failures. From then on, the bell has sounded like a baby crying for its mother, and that's why it's called the Emille bell.
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From the Wikipedia
The Bell of King Seongdeok is the largest extant bell in Korea and one of the largest in the world. The full Korean name means "Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok the Great." It was also known as the Bell of Bongdeoksa Temple, where it was first housed.
It is commonly known as the Emille Bell in Korean and English. Emille, pronounced "em-ee-leh," is an ancient Silla term for "mommy." According to legend, when the bell was first cast, it would not ring. So it was melted down again and the priest of the temple for which the bell was being made was told in a dream that if a baby was cast into the metal the bell would ring. The bell was recast and struck, and it produced a beautiful sound. Later, the mother missed the baby so much that she went inside the hollow inside of the bell. When the priest rang the bell, the mother died. So that is why the bell goes: "emeleh~~ emeleh~~" for the child's mother. There are many other versions of this story but many Koreans know the story as this.
It was designated as the 29th national treasure of Korea on December 12, 1962. It measures 3.33 meters high, 2.27 meters in diameter, and 11 to 25 centimeters in wall thickness. The notes could be heard 40 miles away on a clear day. The bell weighs about 25 tons. It is now stored in the National Museum of Gyeongju.
The bell was commissioned by King Gyeongdeok of Silla to honor his father King Seongdeok the Great. However, the bell was not completely cast until the reign of King Hyegong, the son of King Gyeondeok, in 771 CE.
The bell is considered a masterpiece of Unified Silla art.
It is unique among Korean bronze bells because it has a hollow tube that controls its sound. The hook of the bell is in the shape of a dragon's head. There are many relief patterns on the bell. There are flower patterns along the rim and shoulder. There are also reliefs of lotus flowers, grass reliefs, and a pair of two apsarases (heavenly maidens). The striking point of the bell (dwangja) is also in the shape of a lotus and sits between two of the heavenly maiden reliefs. The bottom of the bell is in a rhombic shape which gives it a unique look not found in other bells of East Asia.
The inscriptions on the bell, over a thousand Chinese characters, are a fine example of East Asian calligraphy and carving and they provide detailed information about the bell and why it was cast.
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