Geumjeong Fortress
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Geumjeong Fortress | |
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| Korean name | |
| Hangul: |
금정산성
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| Hanja: |
金井山城
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| Revised Romanization: | Geumjeong Sanseong |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Kŭmjŏng Sansŏng |
Geumjeong Fortress or Geumjeong Sanseong (literally Geungjeong Mountain Fortress), also Geungjeong Fortress, is the largest mountain fortress in Korea today and is located near the city of Busan. It is designated as Historic Site No. 215 by the Korean government. The fortress is valuable to scholars today because it provides insights on large-scale fortress architecture of the Joseon Dynasty.
Recorded history about the fort indicates that during the reign of King Hyojong, a magistrate recommended the state build a wall in 1655. The magistrate, Im Uibaek, also recommended that the Dongnae government move to the fortress. The naval records of Yu Gihyeong also indicate the remains of an ancient fortress on the site in 1667.
The fortress was built in 1703 by order of King Sukjong to address the failure of the defensive network of the country during the Imjin War and Manchu invasions in 1636. Geumjeong Fortress was specifically designated for the defense of coastal areas from sea attacks. The fortress held a strategic position near the Nakdong River, the city of Dongnae, and commanded high views on Mt. Geumjeong where soldiers could watch the coast.
The inner and outer walls are made from natural stone while the weaker areas of the wall were reinforced with dressed square stone blocks. The walls run 17,337 meters in length and the height of the walls range between 1.5 meters to three meters. The walls defended an area of 8.2 square kilometers.
The actual construction of the fortress began in 1702 by the recommendation of Governor Jo Taedong of Gyeongsang-do Province and the main walls were completed in 1707. However, the fortress fell into disrepair as it was neglected because the general consensus was that the fortress was too massive to maintain. Only after King Sunjo ordered the repair of the fortress in 1807 was there occupation after more than a century. O Hanwan, the Dongnae magistrate was charged with the rebuilding of the gates and the west gate was completed in 1807 with the east, south, and north gates finished in the following year. A stele still stands recording the building of the gates.
Reconstruction of the fortress began in 1972 because it was destroyed during the Japanese occupation of Korea. Work on the east, west, and south gates was finished by 1974 and the north gate was rebuilt in 1989. Today about four kilometers of the wall remain.
