Geonjisanseong Fortress, Seocheon

This mountain fortress has a double structure: an inner wall in the shape of a saddle enclosing the summit area of Geonjisan, and an outer wall enclosing the slope to its north-west. It is thought to have been built between the end of Baekje and the early Unified Silla period. It is a relatively large fortress; the inner wall was built of earth, while the outer wall was built using both stone and earth together. This kind of double-walled structure is known as a new type of mountain fortress that appeared particularly at the end of Baekje. On a lower peak to the south-west of the fortress there are two small subsidiary fortresses attached to Geonjisanseong, which can be seen as outworks built for defence; this too is regarded as a characteristic feature of Baekje-style mountain fortresses. To the north, the wall makes use of steep natural rock cliffs, while the remaining sections were built of earth, though these are now badly collapsed. No trace of a gate site can be found, and inside the fortress stands a small temple called Bongseosa. On a stepped area of flat ground to the west of Bongseosa Temple, thought to be a building site, burnt rice and fragments of Baekje pottery have been excavated. This mountain fortress occupies a strategic point on the transport routes of the lower Geumgang River, and is presumed to be Jujuseong, the stronghold of the Baekje restoration movement forces. However, recent excavation surveys have raised the possibility that it may not be a fortress built during the Three Kingdoms period at all, but rather a Goryeo-period mountain fortress. The name was changed from Geonjisanseong to Geonjisanseong Fortress, Seocheon, by official notice on 28 July 2011.

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Where it is

Region

Seocheon, Chungnam

Designation

Historic Site · 사적