Excavation Begins at Creative Village Site within Seoul Pungnap-dong Earthen Fortress

Academic Survey Begins on the 25th
First Investigation Inside the Fortress in Over a Decade

Location Map of Pungnap-dong Creative Village Site

The National Seoul Institute of Cultural Heritage will begin an academic excavation of the Creative Village site within the Seoul Pungnap-dong Earthen Fortress starting on November 25.

In 1983, a dormitory for Korea Exchange Bank employees was built on the Pungnap-dong Creative Village site. From 2004, this building was repurposed and operated as the Seoul English Village Pungnap Camp for over 20 years.

In 2000, a preliminary survey for a redevelopment project uncovered pottery pits, burnt remains, and a presumed lotus pond. The site drew attention as an internal space of the Hanseong period capital of Baekje.

This excavation is drawing significant academic interest, as it is the first investigation inside the fortress in over a decade. Previously, in the Gyeongdang District, artifacts and large ceremonial building sites believed to have been used by the Baekje Hanseong period elite were discovered. In the Mirae Village site, the largest hexagonal building site and road facilities within the fortress were found.

The National Seoul Institute of Cultural Heritage has already revealed the scale and civil engineering techniques of the fortress through excavations of the restored western wall area and the damaged eastern wall section. Through this investigation, the institute expects to clarify the specific functions of core facilities, such as government office buildings and lotus ponds, which had previously only been presumed.

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