Bukhansanseong () is a

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

-era Korean fortress in Bukhansan National Park, South Korea. The present fort was completed in 1711, though plans for the structure date back to 1659. The name is also given to a fortress mentioned in the ''

Samguk sagi ''Samguk sagi'' () is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. Completed in 1145, it is well-known in Korea as the oldest surviving chronicle of Korean history. The ''Samguk sagi'' is written in Classical ...

'', constructed by Gaeru of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

in 132 CE, and the two are often conflated although the putative connection is contested. The modern Bukhansanseong was built to protect the approach to

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, filling a gap in Korea's defences that had become apparent during the second Manchu invasion of 1636 and the earlier

Imjin War The Imjin War () was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War (). The conflict ended in 159 ...

. The Bukhansanseong was used as a royal retreat in emergencies, and contains 120 rooms.

History

Three Kingdoms of Korea period

It was first built in 132 CE by Gaeru of kingdom of

. During the

era, this fortress was used for the defense of the capital when Baekje set up its capital at Wiryeseong Fortress in Hanam.

Joseon period

The current Bukhansanseong Fortress was built in 1711 CE by King

Sukjong of Joseon Sukjong (; 7 October 1661 – 12 July 1720), personal name Yi Sun (), was the 19th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. A skilled legislator, he caused multiple changes in political power throughout his reign, by switching among the Namin ...

. After the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98) and

Second Manchu invasion of Korea The Qing invasion of Joseon () occurred in the winter of 1636 when the newly established Qing dynasty invaded the Joseon dynasty, establishing the former's status as the hegemon in the Imperial Chinese Tributary System and formally severing Jo ...

(1636), fierce discussion broke out in the royal court about constructing fortress that can protect the kingdom against external threats. Although discussion about building new fortress began in 1451 CE during the era of king Munjong of Joseon, Actual construction of the Bukhansanseong Fortress began on 3 April, in 1711 during 37th year of King

. The construction of Bukhansanseong Fortress was relatively faster than discussion and planning period. 12.7 km of Fortress outer wall was built just in 6-month time (October in 1711). Haeng-gung (, Temporary Palace), was built in May 1712, and Jongseongmun, (), which was built to protect inner fortress and essential facilities, such as Haenggung or jung-heung-sa (), was finished in 1714.

Structure

Total length of Bukhansanseong Fortress is 12.7 km and total area of the Fortress is 6.2 km². There were 6 great gates, 8 secret gates, 2 water gates, and 143 seongrang (, sentry post) Bukhansanseong Fortress also has one Temporary Palace, three Jangdae (, Commanding Post), three Yuyoung (, Military Camp)for defensive purpose. Three different units were stationed in Bukhansanseong Fortress, called Samgunmun (Hunryeongdogam, Geumweiyoung, and Eoyoungcheong). They were stationed in three different location within Bukhansanseong Fortress, and the main responsibility of those units was the protection of the Bukhansanseong Fortress. 13 Buddhist temples were also established within the wall of Bukhansanseong Fortress for Buddhist monks soldiers. Only 6 Buddhist temples remain today, but all lost temples are designated as historical site. In addition, 7 Armories, 99 wells, and 22 small reservoirs were under the control of Bukhansanseong Fortress.

References

External links