Cheolmasanseong Fortress, Goseong

This fortress is a temoeseong — a fortress wall that rings a hilltop along its upper slopes — built along the ridge of Mount Cheolmasan roughly eight-tenths of the way up, and is said to have been constructed during the Sogaya period. Geographically, Mount Cheolmasan lies to the east of the Goseong plain and is surrounded by the sea on three sides — east, south and north — except to the west; to the north lies Danghangpo Bay, well known as a battle site during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), making the mountain a strategic vantage point over the southern coast. The fortress was built using a technique in which mountain stones were packed against natural rock faces to support the outer wall, while the inner face connects to flat ground like a road running inside the fortress, and the wall itself follows a curved line. During the Japanese invasions, dozens of iron horses were made and set up inside the fortress to serve as shields against arrows; when the Japanese invaders carried the iron horses off, local residents are said to have made stone horses instead to guard against further trouble, and one stone horse still survives on the hillside today. Given the presence of the Naesan-ri and Yangchon-ri tomb clusters to the east of Mount Cheolmasan, the fortress is thought to have been built as early as the Gaya period and used in defence against Japanese raiders. The surviving section is about 3m high and 250m in circumference.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Goseong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료