Seokseongsanseong Fortress, Buyeo

This mountain fortress was built to defend the southern outskirts of Sabi, the capital of Baekje, in connection with Hwangsanseong Fortress at Yeonsan, Noseongsanseong Fortress at Noseong, Seongheungsanseong Fortress across the Geumgang River, and Geumseongsanseong Fortress to the rear. The fortress was built with an inner wall first, after which a second wall was built outside it along two valleys. What remains today are the sites of the fortress gates, a water gate that let a stream flow beneath one of the gates, and the sites of a well and buildings. It is thought to have been built in the first half of the sixth century, with a circumference of about 1.5 km, a width of about 5 m and a height of about 4 m; the outer face was built up with stone, while the inner side appears to have been dug out like a ditch, or moat. A distinctive feature of this fortress is that an outer wall of the valley-enclosing (pogok-sik) type was built around two valleys, with an inner wall of the hilltop-encircling (toemoe-sik) type, 580 m in circumference, built inside it. Today the walls have all collapsed, and the water outlet installed at the mouth of the valley through which the wall passed has also been destroyed, so its original appearance cannot be known. At the part corresponding to the water outlet on the right, stones can be seen piled up to a height of about 3–4 m so as to connect with the walls on either side. On the ridge in the middle of the fortress, many fragments of earthenware and roof tiles are scattered, suggesting the site of a building. Even after Sabiseong Fortress fell, this was where Tang forces and the Silla army fought fierce battles against the Baekje restoration army, making it a site of great historical significance.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Buyeo, Chungnam

Designation

Historic Site · 사적