Bunsanseong Fortress

A stone wall roughly 900 m long rings the top of Bunseongsan, the hill on the eastern edge of Gimhae. From the ramparts you look over the city, the Gimhae Plain and the lower Nakdonggang River, and on clear days as far as the sea to the south. The wall walk is free and open at all hours, so many people come up at sunset.

A Gaya hill and an anti-pirate fortress

Bunsanseong is a hilltop fortress whose wall wraps around the summit like a belt. Nobody knows exactly when it was first built, but it is thought to date from the Three Kingdoms period, and its closeness to Gaya burial mounds, the tomb of Queen Heo and Gujibong peak, where Gaya's founding myth is set, ties it closely to the ancient Gaya Confederacy. In 1377, at the end of the Goryeo dynasty, Bak Wi rebuilt it as a defence against Japanese pirates. After it collapsed during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s, local magistrate Jeong Hyeon-seok rebuilt it in 1871, and most of the wall you see today follows that rebuilding. The surviving wall stands 3–4 m high and is up to about 8 m thick, following the line of the ridge. It was designated a Historic Site in 1963.

What to look for inside the walls

• Manjangdae and the regent's calligraphy: locals call the hilltop "Manjangdae", a name said to have been given by the Heungseon Daewongun, the regent of the 1860s, meaning a lofty tower that holds back invaders. On a broad rock behind the beacon tower, rebuilt in 1999, you can find the three characters 萬丈臺 in his hand, along with his seal.
• Beacon tower: the reconstructed beacon on the summit is the most open viewpoint on the wall, looking down on the city and across the plain to the Nakdonggang.
• Haeeunsa Temple: a small temple inside the fortress. Tradition says it was founded in gratitude for Queen Heo's safe voyage across the sea, and its Daewangjeon hall holds portraits of King Suro and Queen Heo, an unusual feature for a Buddhist temple. Warrior monks are said to have been stationed here during the 1590s invasions, and in 1997 the temple put up a replica of the Pasa stone pagoda that Queen Heo is said to have brought by ship.
• Gate and well sites: inside the walls are the sites of the south and north gates, a hidden west gate and a well. On the southwest side, sheer natural rock was used in place of a built wall.

Sunset on Bunseongsan

The western wall faces the Nakdonggang, which makes evenings here especially good. One sunset viewpoint is known as "the Queen's Sunset", after the story of Queen Heo looking towards her distant homeland. The same ridge is home to the Gimhae Astronomical Observatory and Gimhae Gaya Theme Park, so you can combine the theme park and the wall walk by day with stargazing at the observatory in the evening.

Tripto tips

• Hours and tickets: the wall walk is open 24 hours, all year, and free.
• Time needed: 1 to 1.5 hours to walk the wall and visit the beacon and Haeeunsa.
• Best time: around sunset, and in autumn when the air is clearest. The paths are dark at night, so bring a torch.
• Getting there: you can drive up to the approach road to Haeeunsa. Parking right in front of the temple is difficult, so find a space along the approach road and walk the last stretch.
• Combine with: the tomb of Queen Heo, the Royal Tomb of King Suro and the Gimhae National Museum below the hill make a full day of Gaya history.