Taean Sogeun Garrison Fort

An eupseong is a walled town built to protect the residents of a county or district while also serving military and administrative functions. This is a Joseon-period eupseong on the coast 13.6 km north-west of the centre of Taean-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, built in 1514, the ninth year of King Jungjong. The fortress was built to defend against the incursions of Japanese pirates (waegu); the damage inflicted on local residents by pirate raids in this region, which had begun in the late Goryeo period, is said to have been severe. The wall meets the West Sea to the west, while the eastern, southern and northern walls were built making use of the natural terrain. The wall was originally about 650 m in circumference, but most of it has collapsed, and today only the area near the site of the east gate survives. At the north wall near the east gate site, the surviving wall measures 8 m across the base, 4.4 m high on the outer face, 2 m high on the inner face, and 1.7 m across the top. Earth was banked up against the inner face to provide a passage for soldiers, so the inner face is relatively lower than the outer. According to the Sinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam, the fortress was built in 1514, the ninth year of King Jungjong, with a circumference of 2,165 cheok (about 656 m). The Yeojidoseo also records the state of the navy here during the reign of King Yeongjo, suggesting that the site played an important role in the defence of the west coast.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Taean, Chungnam

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물