It was designated as a Historic Site of South Korea in 1963, and relocated 70 metres (230 ft) northwest from the original location in 1979 for preservation.

To celebrate this change, the Government of Joseon demolished Yeongeunmun in February 1895, which they had built in 16th century as a symbolic gate for welcoming Chinese diplomats to the country.

[4] On April 17, 1895, the Joseon Government was formally released from China's sphere of influence with the conclusion of the Treaty of Shimonoseki between the Empire of Japan and the Qing dynasty at the end of the First Sino-Japanese War.

[3][5][6] Philip Jaisohn proposed the building a new gate near the former site of Yeongeunmun's ruins to symbolize the country's desire for freedom.

[5][3][6] To support construction of the gate, Soh created the Independence Club and published Korea's first modern newspaper named Tongnip sinmun.