Gyeonggi Province Designates 'Yongin Seokseongsan Beacon Site' and 'Yeoncheon Daejeonri Fortress' as Cultural Heritage

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 4th that it had designated 'Yongin Seokseongsan Beacon Site' and 'Yeoncheon Daejeonri Fortress' as Gyeonggi Province cultural heritage following a meeting of the Gyeonggi Province Cultural Heritage Committee held on the 29th of last month.

The 'Yongin Seokseongsan Beacon Site' was constructed by preparing a base on protruding rock outcroppings at the summit of Seokseongsan Mountain and building protective walls, creating five yeonjjo (fireboxes and chimney facilities used to raise beacons or emit smoke signals during the day).

Below the protective walls, a storage facility was constructed on a flat area. At a location approximately 50 meters south of the beacon tower, ondol-type building foundations presumed to be residences of beacon operators, wells, and other structures were discovered on a flat platform.

Through excavation surveys, the substructure of the yeonjjo, the construction techniques of protective walls, access facilities, and buildings where beacon operators resided allow understanding of the facilities, structure, and operational methods of the beacons at that time.

Particularly, the rock-cutting construction method of the first yeonjjo, the square-shaped sacrificial remains, and white porcelain ritual vessels were recognized as rare examples with important significance, receiving evaluation that they possess sufficient value as cultural heritage.

The 'Yeoncheon Daejeonri Fortress' located in the Daejeonri area, Seokdong-myeon, Yeoncheon County, has been known as the most likely candidate site for 'Maechoseong,' the site of the final fierce battle of the Sino-Tang War.

Through excavation surveys conducted over the years, it was confirmed to be a退뫼-style stone fortress constructed during the Three Kingdoms period, with the structure and form of the fortress walls clarified.

As an ancient fortress in the Imjin and Hantan River basin region, it is being evaluated as an archaeological site of high academic value as important material for research on the ancient history of the northern Gyeonggi region.

Lee Jeong-sik, Section Chief of Cultural Heritage at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Through this designation of Gyeonggi Province cultural heritage, precious cultural heritage such as Yeoncheon Daejeonri Fortress and Yongin Seokseongsan Beacon Site located in Gyeonggi Province can now be preserved and transmitted to future generations in their original forms."