Presumed Chopalseong Fortress, Hapcheon

This is a stone mountain fortress built around the summit of Mount Daeamsan (591 m above sea level), which forms the boundary between Daeyang-myeon, Chogye-myeon and Yulgok-myeon in Hapcheon County. The site lies where three administrative districts meet — Chogye-myeon to the east, Yulgok-myeon to the north-west and Daeyang-myeon to the south-west — and, being the highest of the many surrounding mountains, commands a fine view of the area. The entire Chogye Basin is visible, as are, in the distance, Mitasanseong Fortress (Gyeongsangnam-do Monument No. 231) in Burim-myeon, Uiryeong County, the town centre of Hapcheon, and the Hwanggang River, making this a well-suited location for a mountain fortress. The fortress measures about 400 m in length and some 150 m in width. In plan, it is very steeply sloped on its eastern, western and northern sides, while to the south it forms a square shape with rounded corners (malgakbanghyeong) that projects for some length along the ridge. On the southern and western walls of this projecting section, stretches of the fortress wall more than 1 m high survive in relatively good condition, and this section connects to a small path linking Chogye and Daeyang, suggesting that the fortress entrance was likely located here. On the eastern side, traces of what appears to be a chi — a bastion projecting from the wall line — partially survive. On the northern side, stones are visible in places, but most of the wall appears to be buried, though traces of the parapet (yeojang) survive comparatively well in this section. The wall is relatively distinct at the southern projecting section, but elsewhere its traces are unclear. Numerous fragments of earthenware and roof tiles have been found inside the fortress. Roof-tile fragments are concentrated in particular around the middle of the southern projecting section, suggesting that a building once stood there; the tiles include several types, among them thin, red-coloured examples. Numerous earthenware fragments thought to date from the Three Kingdoms period have also been found throughout the fortress interior, suggesting that it was built during the Three Kingdoms period and continued to be maintained and used for some time afterwards. Although the upper part of the fortress has been damaged, its original form survives relatively well, and it is regarded as important material for the study of the ancient history of the Hapcheon region.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Hapcheon, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물