The Bukhansanseong ( ko, 북한산성, "fortress of the mountains north of the

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

") is a fortress located in

Gyeonggi-do Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

and

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, South Korea, dating back to the middle

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

period. The present fort was completed in 1711, though plans for the structure date back to 1659. The name is also given to a fortress mentioned in the

Samguk Sagi ''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...

, constructed by Gaeru of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

in 132 CE, and the two are often conflated although the putative connection is contested. The modern Bukhansanseong was built to protect the approach to

, filling a gap in Korea's defences that had become apparent during the second Manchu invasion of 1636 and the earlier

Imjin War The Imjin River ( in South Korea) or Rimjin River ( in North Korea) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea. The river i ...

. The Bukhansanseong was used as a royal retreat in emergencies, and contains 120 rooms.

History

Three Kingdoms of Korea Era

It was first built in 132 CE by Gaeru of kingdom of

. During

era, this fortress was used for the defense of the capital when Baekje set up its capital at Wiryeseong Fortress in Hanam.

Joseon Era

The current Bukhansanseong Fortress was built in 1711 CE by King

Sukjong of Joseon Sukjong of Joseon (7 October 1661 – 12 July 1720) was the 19th King of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, ruling from 1674 until 1720. A skilled legislator, he caused multiple changes in political power throughout his reign, by switching among the ...

. After the

Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98) Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

and

Second Manchu invasion of Korea The Qing invasion of Joseon (Korean: Byeongja Horan) occurred in the winter of 1636 when the newly-established Qing dynasty invaded the Joseon dynasty, establishing the former's status as the hegemon in the Imperial Chinese Tributary System and ...

(1636), fierce discussion broke out in the royal court about constructing fortress that can protect the kingdom against external threats. Although discussion about building new fortress began in 1451 CE during the era of king

Munjong of Joseon Munjong of Joseon (15 November 1414 – 10 June 1452), personal name Yi Hyang (Korean language, Korean: 이향; Hanja: 李珦), was the fifth ruler of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. As the eldest son of Sejong the Great, King Sejong th ...

, Actual construction of the Bukhansanseong Fortress began on 3 April, in 1711 during 37th year of King

. The construction of Bukhansanseong Fortress was relatively faster than discussion and planning period. 12.7 km of Fortress outer wall was built just in 6-month time (October in 1711). Haeng-gung ( ko, 행궁, Temporary Palace), was built in May 1712, and Jong-seong-mun, ( ko, 중성문), which was built to protect inner fortress and essential facilities, such as Haeng-gung or jung-heung-sa ( ko, 중흥사), was finished in 1714.

Structure

Total length of Bukhansanseong Fortress is 12.7 km and total area of the Fortress is 6.2 km². There were 6 great gates, 8 secret gates, 2 water gates, and 143 seong-rang ( ko, 성랑, sentry post) Bukhansanseong Fortress also has one Temporary Palace, three Jang-dae ( ko, 장대, Commanding Post), three Yu-young ( ko, 유영, Military Camp)for defensive purpose. Three different units were stationed in Bukhansanseong Fortress, called Sam-gun-mun (Hun-ryeong-do-gam, Geum-wei-young, and Eo-young-cheong). They were stationed in three different location within Bukhansanseong Fortress, and the main responsibility of those units was the protection of the Bukhansanseong Fortress. 13 Buddhist temples were also established within the wall of Bukhansanseong Fortress for Buddhist monks soldiers. Only 6 Buddhist temples remain today, but all lost temples are designated as historical site. In addition, 7 Armories, 99 wells, and 22 small reservoirs were under the control of Bukhansanseong Fortress.

References

{{coord, 37.6451, N, 126.9845, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:KR, display=title Forts in South Korea Tourist attractions in Gyeonggi Province Tourist attractions in Seoul Buildings and structures in Seoul Historic Sites of South Korea

History

Three Kingdoms of Korea Era

Joseon Era

Structure

See also

References