Nongseong

Nongseong stands on a low hill only 24m above sea level. Its wall was built to enclose the summit, following the line of the hilltop. Around Nongseong lie low hills and open plains, with views extending south and west as far as Asan Bay. Two kilometres north of Nongseong the Jinwicheon and Anseongcheon streams join and flow on towards Asan Bay, and the area is also a key crossroads for east-west traffic. Nongseong is rectangular in plan, elongated from north to south. Its total circumference is 337m, and the outer wall stands 8 to 10m high. Only part of the wall has been investigated. Judging from the thick, sloping layers of piled earth, the earthen rampart appears to have been built not by the panchuk method, in which earth is rammed between wooden frames, but by simply compacting piled-up soil. The gate site lies midway along the eastern and western walls. Earthen fortresses usually finish the gate opening in stone, but at Nongseong the side walls of the gate were finished in earth, and a stone-lined drainage channel was installed in its floor. Finds include fragments of grey soft-fired pottery, roof-tile fragments, and porcelain sherds from the Goryeo and Joseon periods. Several theories exist about Nongseong's origin: that it was built during the Three Kingdoms period; that it was built by Im Pal-geup, who came from China at the end of the Silla period and made it his base; that it was built in the Goryeo period to defend the west coast against Japanese pirate raids; and that it was built to defend against the Japanese during the Imjin War. Although Nongseong has been partly excavated, neither the date nor the purpose of its construction has been established with certainty. However, judging from its construction method and the artefacts recovered, it is thought likely to have been a changseong, a granary fortress belonging to a Goryeo–Joseon county. Nongseong is considered an important site linking the lineage of lowland fortresses that began in the Three Kingdoms period, within the history of Korean fortress construction.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물