Resonance of a millennium rings anew; State preceptor’s bell found to be stable

▲ People gather around the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, widely known as the “Emille Bell," in this photo provided by the Gyeongju National Museum. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- One of Korea’s most iconic cultural treasures, the National Treasure “Divine Bell of King Seongdeok,” has been found to be maintaining stable resonance, according to a recent analysis.

The Gyeongju National Museum said Monday that a percussion sound test conducted on the bell in September last year confirmed that its acoustic and vibrational characteristics remain stable.

The Divine Bell of King Seongdeok is widely known as the “Emille Bell.” Completed in 771 during the reign of King Hyegong (765–780), the bell is regarded as a masterpiece that encapsulates the artistic spirit of the Unified Silla period, combining elaborate patterns and sculptural techniques with a mysterious, resonant sound.

▲ People gather around the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok, widely known as the “Emille Bell," in this photo provided by the Gyeongju National Museum. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

To assess the bell’s conservation status, the museum last year took high-resolution photographs of the artifact and opened to the public a field test in which the bell was struck to examine its sound.

As a result, the bell’s natural frequency showed only minute differences within ±0.1 percent compared with figures measured in previous surveys conducted in 1996, 2001–2003 and 2020–2022.

The museum said such variations fall within a range that can naturally occur due to changes in temperature and environmental conditions.

The bell’s characteristic beating phenomenon — in which two sounds of slightly different frequencies interact to produce periodic rises and falls in volume — was also found to be intact.

A museum official said the beating pattern and cycle were identical to those observed in the past, adding that this indicates the bell’s structural stability has been maintained for more than three decades since acoustic vibration analyses began.

Detailed inspections to check for external contamination or surface corrosion also found no noticeable damage, according to the museum.

Still, the museum stressed the need for an improved environment to preserve the “resonance of a millennium.” It has previously announced plans to build a dedicated bell hall.

“Since the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok is currently displayed outdoors and directly exposed to increasingly variable climate conditions, long-term preservation stability will require continuous inspections, management and the creation of a stable environment,” the museum said.

Proposed measures include moving the bell indoors from its outdoor pavilion and, under normal conditions, placing it on the floor rather than suspending it, to better distribute its weight.

The museum plans to strike the bell annually through 2029 to monitor any changes, with the findings to be used as reference material when reviewing plans for a dedicated exhibition space.

Yoon Sang-deok, director of the Gyeongju National Museum, said the institution will continue to accumulate data through regular monitoring and strengthen its conservation management system in preparation for climate and environmental changes.

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