Yeonggwang Beopseongjin Fortress

Yeonggwang Beopseongjin Fortress stands on the south-facing slope of a hill bordering the sea to the south, forming a rectangular shape in plan. The Sinjeung dongguk yeoji seungnam records its circumference as 1,688 cheok and its height as 12 cheok; the Dongguk yeoji-ji records the circumference as 1,688 cheok; and the Beopseongjin jinji (Record of Beopseongjin Garrison) records the circumference as 3,062 cheok and the height as 8 cheok 7 chon. Beopseongjin Fortress is a stone-built fortress, about 200m wide east to west, with a maximum surviving wall height of around 300cm and a wall width of around 700cm. Because the south wall has been completely destroyed, the north-south length cannot be determined exactly, but the east-west length is 250m. The surviving wall lengths are: east wall 75m, north wall 250m, west wall 125m and south wall 10m, a total of 460m, which becomes longer still if the projecting bastions (chi) are included. The walls were built by stacking stone on the outer face, while the inner side was filled with a mixture of rubble and earth. The walls of Beopseongjin Fortress survive in relatively good condition. On the east wall, the northern portion is well preserved, but the corner where the east and north walls meet was destroyed when a Gwangju Mobile Communications relay tower was installed. Most of the north wall is covered in earth, and a semicircular chi projects from a point slightly east of its midpoint. The west wall survives relatively well except for part of its southern section; near its midpoint is a section presumed to be a former gate site, with a chi installed to its north and to its south. As the roof tiles, porcelain and earthenware excavated within the fortress all date to the Joseon period, the fortress is presumed to have been used during the Joseon dynasty. The walls also bear inscriptions recording the names of the counties and districts of Jeolla-do that were mobilised to build the fortress, the lengths in cheok that each built, and the names of supervising officials such as gamgwan and dosaek. This evidence is considered valuable for understanding both the mobilisation of labour and the institutional system behind fortress construction at the time. With its relatively well-preserved walls and the inscriptions carved upon them, Beopseongjin Fortress is extremely valuable material for the study of Joseon-period garrison fortresses, and holds great historical and academic value.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeonggwang, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물