The 2008 Namdaemun fire was an incident that occurred on February 10, 2008, in Seoul, South Korea, when arsonist Chae Jong-gi (Korean: 채종기; Hanja: 蔡宗基) set fire to Seoul's historic Namdaemun gate (officially "Sungnyemun"), causing the 550-year-old structure's complete destruction. The gate has since been restored, and it reopened to the public on May 5, 2013.