South Korea's president-elect Lee Myung-bak (front R) leaves Namdaemun, or "Great South Gate", which was destroyed by fire in Seoul February 11, 2008. The 600-year-old gate in central Seoul listed as South Korea's number one national treasure and the country's landmark symbol has been destroyed, possibly by an arsonist, police said on Monday. The gate, whose history is drummed into South Korean school children from an early age, is a huge loss to ordinary citizens, many of whom gathered to look in horror at a national icon reduced to ashes. [Agencies]

SEOUL - A 600-year-old gate in central Seoul listed as South Korea's number one national treasure has been destroyed by a likely arsonist, police said.

Namdaemun, or "Great South Gate", was engulfed in flames late on Sunday, they said.

Police said they were searching for a man who is suspected of breaking into the stone and wooden structure and starting the fire.

"From what we can see, except for the pillars on the first floor, the gate has been completely burnt down," said a fire official.

The wooden pavilion on top of the gate's stone base was reduced to a smouldering hulk by the fire.

The gate was constructed in 1398 and served as the main southern entrance for Seoul when it became Korea's capital more than 600 years ago and was a walled city, the Cultural Heritage Administration said.

The structure, also called Sungnyemun or "Gate of Exalted Ceremonies", has been rebuilt several times, with the most recent renovation taking place from 1961-1963, it said.