The on-going restoration of Sungnyemun will be completed by December of next year.

The Cultural Heritage Administration held a briefing Wednesday on progress to restore and rebuild the 600-year-old gate that collapsed after it was set ablaze by an arsonist on February tenth of 2008.

During the briefing that was held at the reconstruction site, the administration said that 40 percent of the restoration work has been completed. Officials also provided information about how South Korea's national treasure No. 1 is being rebuilt in a traditional way.

The administration also provided a timeline for the project, which estimates a December 2012 completion date.