Geumjeongsanseong

Geumjeongsanseong 금정산성
Geumjeong District, Busan, South Korea
Coordinates	35°16′59″N 129°3′20″E / 35.28306°N 129.05556°E / 35.28306; 129.05556
Type	Korean fortress
Site history
Built	1703; rebuilt in 1707, 1807, 1972, 1974 and 1989
Built by	Jo Tae-dong, the Governor of Gyeongsang-do (1703), Oh Han-won, the Dongnae Magistrate (1807), Government of the Busan Metropolitan City (1972, 1974 and 1989)
Materials	stone, wood, plaster walls (original); concrete, stone, wood, plaster walls (reconstruction)
Korean name
Hangul	금정산성
Hanja	金井山城
Revised Romanization	Geumjeongsanseong
McCune–Reischauer	Kŭmjŏngsansŏng

Geumjeongsanseong (Korean: 금정산성; lit. Geumjeong Mountain Fortress) is a Joseon-era Korean fortress on the mountain Geumjeongsan in Busan, South Korea. It is the largest fortress in Korea.^[1]

It's not known with certainty when the first fortress on this location was built; structures existed here from at latest the mid-Joseon period and were continually renovated over time. A fortress may have existed in the area from even during the 57 BCE – 935 CE Silla period.^[2] There is a record of repairs being suggested for it in 1667.^[1][2]

Following the 1592–1598 Japanese invasions of Korea and the Manchu invasions of Korea, much of the current castle was constructed from 1701 to 1703.^[1][2] In 1707, the fortress was judged to be too large, and so it was split into northern and southern sections by a wall.^[1][2] This fortress fell to disuse because it was too large to maintain.^{[citation needed]} New gates and towers were constructed in 1806.^[1] There is a stele (금정산성 부설비; 金井山城 復設碑) recording the building of the gates.^[1]

The fortress was partly destroyed during the Japanese occupation (1910-1945).^[2]

The fortress was made Historic Site of South Korea No. 215 on February 9, 1971, and the fortress upkeep is now done by the Busan Metropolitan Government.^[2] The east, west, and south gates began to be restored in 1972.^[2] The north gate was rebuilt in 1989.^{[citation needed]} Of the 4 existing observation towers, the tower number 1 (제1망루) located on the south-west side was destroyed by the typhoon Rusa on the morning of September 1, 2002.^[3]

More restoration works were under way in the 2000s. Work was divided in 3 phases of 5 years between 1996 and 2010.

• Phase 1 (1996–2000) covers the west region, going from the North Gate down to the West Gate.
• Phase 2 (2000–2005) covers the section of wall on the east side, running between the North Gate and the East Gate. It include the observation towers 3 and 4.
• Phase 3 (2006–2010) covers everything south of the West and East Gates, including the South Gate and the observation towers 1 and 2.^{[citation needed]}

Much of the stones used in the walls are from the immediate environment of the mountain, and thus change depending on the location.^[2] The walls are either 16.383 km (10.180 mi)^[2] or 18.845 km (11.710 mi)^[1] in length and from 1.5 meters to 3 meters in height.^[1] The area surrounded by the fortress is about 8.2 square kilometers.^{[citation needed]}

• 
  The castle walls, winding up the mountain (2004)
• 
  The south gate (2018)
• 
  The east gate (2004)

Media related to Geumjeong Fortress at Wikimedia Commons