Military Stronghold Geyang Fortress from the Three Kingdoms Period Designated as Historic Site

"Located at a key transportation hub where the lower Han River meets the West Sea... Geopolitically important"

The Incheon Gyeyang Fortress, believed to have been constructed during the Three Kingdoms period, has been designated as a historic site. On the 22nd, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced that the fortress built atop Gyeyang Mountain has been designated as Historic Site No. 556 by the national government.

An official stated, "It is geopolitically significant as a key transportation hub where the lower reaches of the Han River meet the West Sea." They added, "It holds high academic and cultural heritage value for comparing and studying fortress styles through different eras," and "It can be utilized as a place for history education." Plans are underway to establish systematic preservation and management measures in cooperation with Incheon Metropolitan City and Gyeyang District.

Gyeyang Fortress is a cultural heritage site with a circumference of 1,184 meters, located on a peak extending eastward from the main peak of Gyeyang Mountain. It served as a strategic fortress in the Han River basin and is said to have been used as a military stronghold and administrative center during the Three Kingdoms period. It is evaluated to demonstrate the evolution of fortress construction techniques, having been used through the Unified Silla, Goryeo, and Joseon periods.

Gyeyang Fortress is recorded as a stone fortress (seokchuk, built with stones) in Joseon dynasty documents such as the 'Sinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam' and 'Jeungbo Munheon Bigo.' According to the diary 'Swaemirok' written by Joseon scholar-official Oh Huimun, the military commander Konishi Yukinaga, who led the vanguard during the Imjin War, was stationed here.

At this site, gate structures, protruding bastions (chiseong), water collection facilities, and building foundations have been identified. Various artifacts have also been excavated, including wooden tablets (mokgan) from the Baekje Hanseong capital period, jars, Unified Silla era stamped pottery (inhwamon), arrowheads, locks, iron cauldrons, and iron lumps. Currently, over 80% of the fortress walls have been lost. The maximum remaining height of the walls is 7 meters.

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