Myeoncheoneupseong Walled Town

Myeoncheoneupseong is an early Joseon walled town that still wraps almost the whole centre of Myeoncheon in Dangjin. It was built in 1439 to hold off Japanese pirates raiding the west coast, and today you can walk the rebuilt south gate with its half-moon barbican, two ginkgo trees said to be over a thousand years old and a pond created by the scholar Park Ji-won when he governed the town. People still live inside the walls, so it feels less like a ruin and more like strolling through a small walled village.

A fortress against pirates

Close to the sea, Myeoncheon was a trading gateway and a defensive stronghold long before Joseon. The walled town served as its military and administrative centre until the late Joseon period. The outer face of the wall is built of carefully shaped natural stone, while the inner side was packed with rubble and covered with earth. The surviving circuit measures 1,336 m; including its bastions and barbican, the original wall is thought to have run to about 1,564 m.

The stones hold a few surprises. On the outer face of the west wall are blocks carved with the names of other Chungcheong counties such as Okcheon, Jinjam and Seokseong, showing that labour gangs from several districts each built their own stretch. Another stone bears the year "gimi" in the sixty-year cycle, which matches 1439, the year of construction.

Rebuilt gates and walls

Restoration began in 2007 and has brought back the south gate and barbican, the west wall, the south-east bastion, part of the east wall and the official guesthouse. Step inside the barbican in front of the south gate and the curved wall closes around you, which makes it easy to picture how attackers were caught under fire from all sides before reaching the gate. Walking along the top of the wall, you look over the village inside and the fields beyond.

What to see inside the walls

• The two Myeoncheon ginkgo trees: a natural monument standing on the grounds of the former Myeoncheon Primary School, 23.2 m and 20.6 m tall. Villagers still hold a rite for the tree spirit beneath them every year.
• Goljeongji Pond and Geongonilchojeong: a pond said to have been made by Park Ji-won while he was magistrate here in 1797–1800. A small pavilion whose name means "a thatched pavilion between heaven and earth" sits on an islet, reached by a stone bridge.
• The guesthouse (gaeksa): the restored building where visiting officials stayed and the king's tablet was kept.
• Village lanes: old shops and small cafés line the streets inside the walls.

The ginkgo and the azalea wine

Local legend says that when Bok Ji-gyeom, a founding hero of the Goryeo dynasty, fell ill in his hometown, his young daughter prayed for 100 days. A spirit told her to brew wine from Amisan's azaleas and to plant two ginkgo trees. That wine is Myeoncheon Dugyeonju, a national intangible heritage: a fragrant azalea rice wine of around 21% alcohol. Knowing that the trees, the wine and the nearby mountain belong to one story makes the village far more interesting.

Tripto tips

• Access: the walls and village are open all year round, and there is a car park.
• Time needed: allow 60–90 minutes for the gate, walls, ginkgo trees and pond.
• Best time: the Azalea Folk Festival takes place in spring, and the ginkgo trees turn bright yellow in autumn. Late afternoon light over the fields is lovely from the walls.
• Getting there: Myeoncheon IC on the Seosan–Yeongdeok Expressway is close by, so driving is easiest. By public transport you need to change buses in central Dangjin, which takes a while.
• Nearby: Amisan, the mountain from the legend, is close enough for a short hike.