Beacon on Jujeongsan Mountain, Chungju

A beacon mound (bongsudae) was an old means of communication that used fire and smoke to relay urgent news: a fire was lit atop a high mountain, sending signals by smoke during the day and by firelight at night. This beacon mound, on the peak of Jujeongsan Mountain on the boundary between Oncheon-ri, Sangmo-myeon, Chungju, and Chujeong-ri, Jangyeon-myeon, Goesan-gun, was built during the Goryeo dynasty and continued in use into the Joseon dynasty. It received signals from Magoljae Pass in Mireuk-ri to the south and relayed them to the Daerimsan beacon mound to the north. Most of the site was damaged during the Korean War, but excavation confirmed a long, oval-shaped protective wall running north–south, two entrances (to the north and south) fitted with stone lamps, and five beacon furnaces (bongjo) each equipped with a fire hole (hwagu) and a hearth. Various relics were found here, including Joseon-period ceramics and pottery fragments, a bowl lid inscribed with both Chinese characters and Hangeul, and stone artefacts. This suggests the mound was used not only for signalling but also as a ritual site where prayers for rain were held. Because the complete structure of the beacon mound has been revealed here, it is valued as material that can deepen empirical research into Korea's beacon-fire signalling system.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Chungju, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물