First Excavation of Late Joseon Armor 'Dujeonggap'... General Yi Sun-sin's Busanpo Naval Battle Foothold 'Cheonseongjinseong' 4th Excavation Site Briefing

The site in Gadeokdo, Gangseo-gu, Busan, where the excavation survey of 'Cheonseongjinseong' is being held for a public briefing.

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[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] An open briefing session on the excavation survey of Cheonseongjinseong on Gadeokdo Island, Busan, known as the strategic foothold where Admiral Yi Sun-sin won the Battle of Busanpo during the Imjin War, will be held.

Busan Museum announced on the 1st that it will hold the "4th Excavation Survey Open Briefing of Cheonseongjinseong" at 2 p.m. on April 2 at the excavation site of Cheonseongjinseong in Cheonseong-dong, Gangseo-gu, Gadeokdo Island.

The open briefing is part of the Cheonseongjinseong restoration and maintenance project conducted by Gangseo District Office and is an event to disclose the results of the 4th excavation survey of Cheonseongjinseong, which has been ongoing since November 27, 2020, to the general public. Excavations of Cheonseongjinseong have been underway since 2016.

Cheonseongjinseong was established in the 39th year of King Jungjong of Joseon (1544) following the Sampo Japanese Invasion and the Saryangjin Japanese Incident, due to the need for coastal defense.

Records in "The Complete Works of Yi Chungmugong, Volume 2" and "Report on the Defeat of Japanese Troops at Busan (Jang-gye Busan Pa Wae Byeong Jang, 狀啓 釜山破倭兵狀)" state that Admiral Yi Sun-sin stayed here the day before the Battle of Busanpo (lunar calendar September 1, 1592), where he defeated over 100 Japanese ships during the Imjin War. This indicates that Cheonseongjinseong served as a strategic foothold for defeating the Japanese forces.

"Jang-gye Busan Pa Wae Byeong Jang" is a report document (Jang-gye) in which Admiral Yi Sun-sin, as Naval Commander, reported to King Seonjo about defeating Japanese troops in Busan.

In the 4th excavation survey, precise excavation work was conducted mainly around the guesthouse site at 1068-1 Cheonseong-dong, Gangseo-gu.

A building site presumed to be the guesthouse was discovered, measuring six bays wide and two bays deep, which corresponds to the location confirmed in the 1872 "Gunhyeon Jido" (County Map).

Additionally, corridors and auxiliary buildings around the site were investigated. In front of the guesthouse, stone retaining walls were built in two to three tiers to create a flat area, paved with flagstones and roof tiles.

Artifacts recovered include numerous roof tile fragments, inscribed ridge-end tiles, floor tiles, and white porcelain shards. Notably, over 500 pieces of Dujeong-gap armor plates and one helmet fragment from the late Joseon period were unearthed.

Most Joseon-era armor artifacts have remained as family heirlooms of military families, so the large quantity excavated at a guesthouse site is highly significant.

The Dujeong-gap armor discovered this time represents a new trend in late Joseon armor. Along with the early Joseon iron-plated armor "Chalgap" pieces found in the moat of Dongnae Eupseong, these artifacts are expected to be very important in tracing the lineage of Joseon-era armor.

Song Ui-jeong, director of Busan Museum, said, "Cheonseongjinseong has long been recognized for preserving the original form of a Joseon naval fortress, and has been managed as Busan Metropolitan City Designated Monument No. 34," adding, "With the confirmation of the guesthouse site and the excavation of Dujeong-gap armor in this excavation, its historical and cultural value is expected to increase significantly."

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