A seventh-century Baekje-era stone pagoda at the UNESCO-registered Mireuksa Temple site in Iksan, North Jeolla Province has been restored after 20 years of repair work.

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage unveiled the renovated Mireuksaji stone pagoda on Wednesday. 

The institute took on the work of repairing the pagoda after problems were found in the structure in 1998. 

The oldest and largest stone pagoda in the country was kept intact through the Joseon dynasty period before it got struck by lightning. It was temporarily repaired with cement in 1915 during Japan’s colonial rule of Korea and had remained in that state until 1998.