The soul of Silla wakes up again...Secrets of the Wooden Tower on the 9th floor of Hwangryongsa Temple, Gyeongju APEC's dedication novel Serabal is the topic of publication
Nov 05, 2025
|
Kwon Gil-sang's novel 『Seorabal" is a work that depicts "the belief of a craftsman and a queen who challenged the impossible" with a grand architectural narrative centered on the existential ruins of the 9th-floor wooden tower of Hwangryongsa Temple.
▶"9th floor wooden tower of Hwangryongsa Temple, blueprint of the millennium kingdom"
The novel 'Surabal' begins in the pile of Wolseong's schedule that has been burned down. In it, a boy, Bimokrang, who met his fate, enters the path of a carpenter to succeed his father, Sunjeong, who was the first master of Silla. But timing, jealousy, and accidental thinking change his life. With his father's will to be the first carpenter in Silla, he became Hwarangdo after despair and grew into Kim Yu-shin's Nangdo, where he met the girl Deok-man and the later Queen Seondeok and formed a fateful relationship.
Later, when Deokman was crowned queen and Silla was in jeopardy by Baekje and Goguryeo's invasion, he would build a tower that would reach the sky to create national fortunes" makes up one's mind. That tower is the 9th floor wooden tower of Hwangryongsa Temple. The 80-meter-long tower was an architecture impossible with Silla's technology at the time, and eventually, Baekje's artisan Abiji was called and a miracle occurred in which Silla and Baekje cooperated with 'Architecture'.
At the center was Bimokrang. Bimokrang becomes a disciple of Abiji and completes the absolute beauty of architecture, and on the other hand, conflicts between his first love with Abiji's daughter, Yeonji, and his fateful relationship with the queen. As the tower rises, the conspiracy of power hangs over it. The queen vomits blood and completes the tower even though the queen revolts by chanting "The 女 of 能" and interferes with the foundation of the tower. The tower is stronger than force 'Pillars of the People' and becomes the cornerstone of the unification of the three countries.
▶ a grand narrative of architecture, love and politics
'Surabal' is an architectural novel that adds artistic imagination to historical facts. Dream and love as a craftsman of Bimokrang, the political beliefs of Queen Seondeok, and the skills and philosophy of Abiji, a craftsman of Baekje, are intertwined to depict the story of 「Those who built the country through architecture」.
With three complex conflict structures: Bi Mok-rang's choice of art soul and love, Queen Seondeok vs. the conflict of power between Bidam and Yeomjong forces, Silla's lack of skills vs. cooperation with Baekje craftsmen, the work is not just a period drama, but a civilization epic depicting art and power, love and beliefs, men and women, and confrontation and harmony between individuals and states.
|
Writer Kwon Gil-sang is a person who has newly interpreted the essence of Korean traditional architecture based on the architectural skills acquired by working as a carpenter in Japan and the United States. He led practical books such as 'My House to Build with My Hand' and 'Building a Country House Deck' and made his literary debut in 2024 with the publication of a short story 'The Dullen Flag Day'. In the eyes of the carpenter, there was no reason why the nine-story tower of Hwangnyongsa Temple could not be rebuilt, he says.
Through this feature 'Seorabeol', he says "It's impossible in reality, but in the novel, I wanted to revive the spirit of the Raobeol by re-establishing the nine-story tower of Hwangryongsa Temple."
He continued, "Architecture is hard work, but the result is a poem and a universe." The 9th floor tower of Hwangryongsa Temple was a masterpiece of Silla's imagination, beliefs, and artistic spirit at that time. I wrote this novel with the mind of rebuilding the tower.'
In addition, "Queen Seondeok was denigrated for being a woman, but his rule united the people with 'architectural power' which is stronger than force. The tower was Silla's first architectural declaration to the world."
▶ "Architecture Challenging the Impossible, the Queen's Belief Raises the Nation"
'Surabal' is defined as the story of a carpenter who challenged the impossible, and a queen who caused the spirit of the empire with a woman's body. The nine-story tower of Hwangryongsa Temple is not just a building, but is evaluated as a symbol of the reconstruction of Silla and the pride of the nation, and a prototype of K-culture.
In addition, this work is expected to be a touching drama of love and growth for the public, academically restoring the aesthetics of ancient architecture, and attracting attention as a narrative of East Asian female rulers in the global market.
'Seorabal' is a work that revived 'Gyeongju', the city where the world's eyes have stayed since APEC, as a literary stage. Gyeongju's cultural heritage, including the 9th-floor tower of Hwangryongsa Temple, Cheomseongdae, King Munmu's tomb, Donggung Palace and Wolji, lives and moves in the novel, conveying the "K-spirit of the architecture of a thousand years" to the reader.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
