The Dongnaeeupseong Fortress is located on
Dongnae-gu
Dongnae District is a '' gu'' in central Busan, South Korea.
Administrative divisions
It has a population of about 300,000, and an area of 16.7 square kilometers. It was once a separate city, the principal port of southeastern Korea. Numerous ...
,
Busan Metropolitan City
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...
,
Republic of Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...
.
Traditionally in
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, a wall-fortress was erected in each town to keep it safe from invasions. In this area called
Dongnae
Dongnae District is a '' gu'' in central Busan, South Korea.
Administrative divisions
It has a population of about 300,000, and an area of 16.7 square kilometers. It was once a separate city, the principal port of southeastern Korea. Numerous ...
, there were some borough-states after the
Samhan period (the 1st century BC), Geochilsanguk, Chilsanguk, Jangsanguk and Dongnoguk states are told to have been included among these. It is believed that walls had been already built here at that time.
However, the first mention about the Dongnaeeupseong Fortress that appears in historical records is that the wall was repaired in 1021, the twelfth year of the reign of
King Hyeonjong of
Goryeo Dynasty.
Since the Japanese began their
invasions into Korea on April 14, 1592, this Dongnaeeupseong Fortress, along with the Busanjinseong Fortress, became the first target by the Japanese.
Siege of Dongnae
The siege of Dongnae was a siege that occurred on April 15, 1592 (Gregorian: May 25, 1592) during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98). It resulted in the capture of Dongnae, a mountain castle on the way to Hanseong (Seoul), by the Japanes ...
ensued here, in which General
Song Sang-hyeon
Song Sang-hyeon (; 1551 – 23 May 1592) was a civil minister, writer, and general during the Joseon dynasty. He was the prefect of Dongnae during the Siege of Dongnae, one of the first battles of the Imjin War. He led troops against Japanese ...
and all the other officials, troops and common people lost their lives.
The Fortress was repaired and expanded in 1713, extending its circumference to . It had four gates: Jihuiru (east), Simseongnu (west), Muuru (south), and Eunillu (north). A wing fortress was built upon the south gate and small fortifications were erected on the other three gates too. At present, there are some restored structures inside the wall, including the north gate with a fortification on its top, Dongjangdae and Seojangdae, and Bukjangdae,
Insaengmun (Gate), Chiseong wall and a fortified small wall surrounding a gate.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dongnaeeupseong Fortress
Tourist attractions in Busan
Castles in South Korea
Culture of Busan
City walls in South Korea
Buildings and structures in Busan