Gochangeupseong Fortress

Gochangeupseong is the walled town that guarded Gochang county in the Joseon era, and its rough stone walls survive almost intact for 1,684 m. You can walk the entire circuit on top of the wall, and inside are rebuilt government buildings and a grove of giant bamboo. It is also known as Moyangseong, after Moryangburi, the Baekje-era name of the area.

Guarding the interior of Honam

Sources differ on when it was built: some say in 1453, the first year of King Danjong, others that it was completed under King Sukjong. Together with Ibamsanseong fortress in Jangseong it served as an outpost defending the interior of the Honam region (today's Jeolla provinces), and it was designated a Historic Site in 1965.

The fortress is said to have seen three battles: during the second Japanese invasion of 1597, the Donghak Peasant Revolution and the Korean War. In 1894 the Donghak peasant army took Gochang, opened the prison gates to free the inmates and burned the house of a man notorious for exploiting the locals, while the county magistrate fled.

What to see

• Wall walk: a path runs along the top of walls 4–6 m high, with views over Gochang town and the surrounding hills.
• Three gates with ongseong: the main north gate Gongbungnu, east gate Deungyangnu and west gate Jinseoru, each shielded by a curved outer wall. Records for Gongbungnu date its construction to 1646.
• Six bastions: six protruding sections of wall, called chi, have been restored.
• Government buildings: most were destroyed in wartime; restoration began in 1976 and 14 buildings have been rebuilt, including the magistrate's hall, guesthouse, residence, clerks' office and prison.
• Giant bamboo grove: a dense stand of thick moso bamboo on the hill inside the walls, linked to pine woods.

Walking the wall with stones on your head

Gochang has a custom called dapseong nori. Legend says that walking around the wall once with a stone on your head cures leg ailments, twice brings a long and healthy life, and three times sends you to paradise; it was thought to work best in a leap month, especially the leap third month. Today the procession of people in hanbok carrying stones is re-enacted at the Gochang Moyangseong Festival around the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, with a lantern walk along the walls at night.

Good to know

• The town originally had 22 government buildings, two ponds and four springs; the eight not yet restored are planned to be rebuilt.
• The main gate Gongbungnu is a two-storey gate tower on a low base, with natural stone footings at the front and granite posts at the back carrying round columns. The parapets on the outer walls have openings for observation and for firing guns.

Tripto tips

• Hours: 05:00–22:00, open daily. Early morning and sunset are the quietest times on the wall.
• Admission: adults KRW 3,000, teenagers and soldiers KRW 2,000, children KRW 1,500; the fee is refunded as Gochang local gift vouchers. Parking is free.
• Time needed: 30–40 minutes for the wall circuit, 1 to 1.5 hours with the buildings and bamboo grove.
• Nearby: a park dedicated to the pansori theorist Sin Jae-hyo is close by, and Seonunsa temple is within half an hour by car.