To Protect the Bell, It Must Be Struck: Sound Inspection of the Emille Bell

Since the New Year's Eve bell-ringing ceremony in 1992, regular ringing of the Emille Bell (the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok) has been suspended.
That does not mean it has stopped completely; ringing for investigative purposes has been conducted a few times.

Next Tuesday, September 15, the Gyeongju National Museum plans to strike this national treasure.
Of course, this is not for a celebration, but a scientific investigation called a "sound wave inspection."
Sensors will be attached to 24 spots on the surface of the bell to measure its unique frequencies, often referred to as its acoustic fingerprint, to check whether the bell is maintaining its condition.

The curator in charge described this as "truly the worst choice for someone in charge."
This is because striking the bell damages it, yet failing to strike it makes it impossible to know its condition.
Check out the video to explore the paradox of having to strike the bell to protect it, along with the conclusions told by 30 years of accumulated data.

Reported by So Hwan-uk | Video by Kim Hye-ju | Camera by Moon Jeong-do, Kang Su-bin | Design by Ahn Jun-seok | Produced by Knowledge Contents IP Team | Footage courtesy of Gyeongju National Museum
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.