Built in 1988 for the XXIV Olympiad in Seoul, the World Peace Gate towers nearly 80 feet and features a colorful mural depicting the four spirits (a phoenix, a turtle, a tiger and a dragon) by Korean artist Baik Kum Nam. Beneath the gate is an eternal flame with an inscription of the Seoul Peace Declaration:
“Deep in their souls, peoples on this earth regardless of ideology, race or religion, share one communal goal to live in peace free from fear of war and violence. For it is only through peace among men and nations that the universal longing for happiness can be fulfilled. Cumulative human experience dictates us on the occasion of the Games of XXIVth Olympiad in Seoul, September 17 through October 2, 1988, to call on our brothers and sisters around the world to declare a moratorium on all forms of strife violence and terror, casting aside weapons of conflict and hatred, and to make this gathering of our best athletes a festival of peace. It is our fervent hope and prayer that the Seoul Olympics, the biggest in Olympic history with 161 nations participating, will be a catalyst for securing enduring peace.