Rebuilding Namdaemun will take a while.

In a strange article (mixed Hangeul and English; appearing to be a translators draft more than anything) The Joongang reports that pine trees from Samcheok area have been felled and flown by helicopter to be used to rebuild Namdaemun.

I am no expert but I am pretty sure that lumber needs to "cure" for a while and that curing entails drying for several years. Korean Buddhist temples and the famed 80,000 wood blocks of Buddhist scriptures were soaked in salt water for years before being dried (look for an apparent white stain at the bottom of posts at a temple; that is the salt leaching out).

Maybe the pine collected recently will be for scaffolding or something non structural.

An excerpt from the article:

A Korea Forest Service helicopter transports pine trees (felled) (for use) (in the restoration) (of Namdaemun), (yesterday) (in Samcheok, Gangwon).

“문장의 뼈대가 되는 주성분들로 주어 자리에 A Korea Forest Service helicopter, 서술어 자리에 transports, 목적어 자리에 ‘pine trees’가 각각 왔습니다. 주요 성분부터 흐름을 느끼며 말해 보도록 하겠습니다. A Korea Forest Service helicopter(산림청 헬기 한대가)….transports(운반하고 있다)….pine trees(소나무를)….
수식어 부분을 붙여 보도록 하겠습니다. 소나무들은 (felled) ‘벌채된’ 것인데 (for use) (in the restoration) (of Namdaemun)