Mayor Kim Byungsoo: "Restoration and Utilization of Munsusanseong Will Help Gimpo Find Its Core Identity"

Gimpo City Hosts the "2025 Gimpo Munsusanseong" Academic Conference
Sharing 30 Years of Restoration Achievements and Exploring Future Utilization Plans for the National Historic Site "Munsusanseong"
Experts Gather to Examine the Significance and Historical Value of Munsusanseong from Multiple Perspectives

Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province, which has been reorganizing its assets to enhance urban competitiveness, held an academic conference on October 30 at Modam Library in Gimpo City under the theme "The Historical Value and Utilization Plans of Munsusanseong in Gimpo."

Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province held an academic conference on the 30th at Modam Library in Gimpo City, with the theme "The Historical Value and Utilization Plans of Munsusanseong in Gimpo." Provided by Gimpo City

This academic conference was particularly meaningful as it aimed to share the achievements of the past 30 years since the first excavation in 1995 and to explore directions for restoration and utilization together with citizens.

The event was hosted by Gimpo City and organized by the National Institute of Land Cultural Heritage, with academic support from experts in various fields. The conference drew significant interest, with many officials and citizens in attendance.

In his opening remarks, Mayor Kim Byungsoo stated, "The most important task for rapidly growing Gimpo is to find our identity. This event was organized not to discuss Gimpo Airport or the disappearing Gimpo Plain, but to reflect on what constitutes Gimpo's identity in this era," adding, "We must discover and connect the historical assets that Gimpo has preserved for over a thousand years to our identity. The first step is to thoroughly examine Gimpo's materials and history."

Mayor Kim Byungsoo continued, "Munsusanseong, a representative cultural heritage that demonstrates Gimpo's historical status, has been restored for 30 years. If we restore, maintain, and utilize Munsusanseong once again, I believe Gimpo citizens will be able to find the foundation of their identity. Only then can we pass it down to future generations. If we join forces, we can create an even greater Munsusanseong than Namhansanseong."

The first session of the conference focused on preserving the historicity of Munsusanseong in Gimpo and utilizing its value. It began with a keynote lecture by Shim Gwangju, Director of the Korea Fortress Research Institute, titled "The Historical Status of Munsusanseong and Strategies for Expanding Its Value as Cultural Heritage."

Presentations followed, including: ▲Park Manhong (Director, National Institute of Land Cultural Heritage) "Research Achievements and Significance of Munsusanseong in Gimpo: Questions about Munsusanseong" ▲Kim Gyuwon (Professor, Kangwon National University) "The Significance of Munsusanseong during the Three Kingdoms Period" ▲Bae Seongsu (Curator, Incheon Metropolitan City Museum) "The Establishment of the Ganghwa Island Defense System during the Reign of King Sukjong and Munsusanseong" ▲Park Jiyoung (CEO, Culture Plus Research Institute) "Utilization Strategies for Munsusanseong and Plans for Regional Community Linkage." These presentations examined the historical and academic value of Munsusanseong from multiple perspectives and proposed future development plans.

The second session featured a panel discussion on the preservation and utilization of Munsusanseong in Gimpo, moderated by Professor Shin Heekwon of the University of Seoul. Experts from various fields, including Jeong Gyeok (former expert commissioner, National Heritage Administration), Choi Taeseon (Professor, Joongang Sangha University), Kim Gyuwon (Director, Hanul Cultural Heritage Research Institute), and Seon Kyunghwa (Curator, Gimpo City), engaged in an in-depth discussion.

This academic conference was made possible by the active participation of local residents, who shared their questions about cultural heritage and offered diverse opinions on the development and utilization of Munsusanseong. Gimpo City is positioning this event as the starting point for an open policy that seeks to explore directions for restoration and utilization of cultural heritage together with its citizens.

Meanwhile, "Munsusanseong in Gimpo," located in Seongdong-ri, Wolgot-myeon, Gimpo City, is known to have been built by Silla during the Three Kingdoms period. As the importance of national defense increased after the Japanese invasions of Korea, it underwent extensive repair and reconstruction in 1694 (the 20th year of King Sukjong's reign) and served as a strategic stronghold guarding the routes to Hanyang and Ganghwa. Its historical value was recognized when it was designated a National Historic Site in 1964, and it remains one of Gimpo's most prominent cultural heritage sites to this day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.