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Gyeongju museum sounds Silla-era bell publicly for first time in 22 years

Published: 25 Sep. 2025, 11:45

A public tonal assessment of the Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok the Great is held at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Sept. 24. [GYEONGJU NATIONAL MUSEUM]

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang — As the autumn rain cleared over Seorabeol, the ancient name for Gyeongju, a deep, resonant bell tone echoed softly through the night, mingling with the chirping of crickets. The sound, often described as the “cry of a thousand years,” held the 771 citizens in attendance in silent reverence.

The Gyeongju National Museum held a rare public striking of the Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok the Great on Wednesday, which is more widely known as the Emille Bell — as part of a tonal assessment.

The Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok the Great, which is more widely known as the Emille Bell, is a national treasure and the largest ancient bell in Korea, located in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang. [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]

The ceremony took place at the bell pavilion on the museum grounds, with national intangible cultural heritage holder Won Cheon-su, a master caster, and Shin Cheol-min, the bell keeper at Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul, taking part.

The bell, a national treasure, stands 3.66 meters (12 feet) tall and weighs 18.9 tons. Every time the 187-centimeter-long (73-inch-long), 35-centimeter-thick striker met the lotus-blossom-shaped striking point on the bell, a lingering overtone followed — sometimes appearing to fade, only to return. Even traffic around the museum was controlled by the local police to preserve the solemn atmosphere.

This marked the first public striking of the bell in 22 years. The bell was struck 12 times in total as part of a tonal health check, akin to a medical examination. Preliminary steps included taking high-resolution photos of the bell on Monday, followed by tests on Tuesday to study how the bell vibrates and what sound frequencies it naturally produces by using a small tapping tool. Although the bell typically requires six people for a full strike, this assessment used only two people and a softer force.

“We wanted to let the public hear the bell as well,” said museum director Yoon Sang-deok. Out of 3,800 applicants, 771 were selected by lottery to attend. Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nak-young, National Museum of Korea Director General Yoo Hong-jun, former Cultural Heritage Administration (now the Korea Heritage Service) administrator Chung Jae-suk and philosopher Kim Yong-ok were also present.

A public tonal assessment of the Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok the Great is held at the Gyeongju Natioanl Museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Sept. 24. [GYEONGJU NATIONAL MUSEUM]

Author Choi Eung-chon once described the bell’s tone as “a mysterious, heavenly sound that eases worldly suffering.” Scientists believe this unique sound comes from a mix of balance and subtle irregularities in the bell’s design.

According to Kim Seok-hyeon, a mechatronics professor at Kangwon National University who has studied the bell since 2018, the bell looks symmetrical, but differences in its thickness, surface patterns and materials give it its distinctive sound. He noted that the exact placement of the striking point helps create especially rich and harmonious vibrations.

Prof. Kim added that the bell's tone naturally rises and falls, creating a dynamic sound that some say resembles the cry of a singing child — an image tied to a legend that a child was sacrificed during the bell's casting.

According to legend, after repeated failed attempts to produce a bell that would ring properly, a monk proposed an unsettling solution: to cast a child into the molten metal. The king agreed, and once completed, the bell finally rang — producing a sound so hauntingly beautiful that it was said to echo the cry “emille, emille,” as if mourning. The word “emille” was an old Silla-era (57 B.C. to A.D. 935) term for “mother,” giving rise to the bell’s nickname: the Emille Bell.

However, scientific tests have found no evidence to support that myth.

The yongnyu, the dragon-shaped hook at the top of the Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok the Great, or Emille Bell, connects the bell’s ornate body to its support structure. [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]

A bicheon, or a flying celestial maiden, is cast in relief on the surface of the Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok the Great, also known as the Emille Bell. [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]

The Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok the Great, completed in 771 during the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. to A.D. 935), is the largest ancient temple bell still standing in the country. It was traditionally struck 33 times on New Year’s Eve, but ringing was halted in 1992 due to concerns about possible damage. Since then, three private sound checks have been held, with the most recent in 2020 to 2022 showing no major changes.

Still, experts warn that the bell’s ornate dragon-shaped hook at the top may be a weak point, especially since the bell is kept outdoors. Concerns are growing about how best to protect metal artifacts like this from humidity, pollution, natural disasters and climate change.

Kim Yeon-mi, a museum curator, noted that summer humidity in Gyeongju often reaches 72 to 83 percent, stressing the need for detailed research and better storage options — especially after the 2016 Gyeongju earthquake.

This latest inspection is also part of a broader effort to justify the creation of a new exhibition space for the bell, tentatively called the “Divine Bell Pavilion.” Museum director Yoon said the museum plans to conduct regular sound checks through 2029 and use that data to design a space where the bell can be better preserved, studied and displayed.

If the new building is completed and proper guidelines for striking the bell are established, the museum hopes to hold public bell-ringings at least once a year. The exhibition hall will be built on the current pavilion site and is expected to cost around 50 billion won ($35.7 million).

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KANG HYE-RAN [[email protected]]