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Here at the Kyongju National Museum hangs Korea's most famous bell. Known as the 'Emille Bell', it was cast in 771 to commemorate the Silla Dynasty's King Songdok. It's 3.5 meters high and 2.5 meters tall and weighs 23,000 kg. The name of the bell comes from the legend connected to the casting of the bell: After failed attempts to cast the bell, the temple's head monk was inspired by a spirit in a dream to find a young girl born in the year, month, day, and hour of the dragon. She was to be thrown into the molten casting metal before it was poured in order to appease the fire spirit dragon. This was done, and the bell was successfully cast. However, when they went to strike the bell for the first time, it didn't boom like a bell, but sounded with the mournful cry of the child for her mother in the ancient Silla langauge-"emille..".
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