Mongchontoseong

Mongchontoseong is an earthen fortress from the Hanseong period of Baekje that survives in Songpa-gu, Seoul, and is described as the royal fortress that protected the palace of Hanseong Baekje. The Korea Tourism Organization commentary gives the length of the wall as about 2.3 km and the area inside as about four times that of Seoul World Cup Stadium. Admission is free and it is open all year; inside the fortress you can walk or cycle from 5:00 to 22:00, and cars may enter from 6:00 to 22:00. The Mongchon History Museum is open 9:00–18:00. Parking is available: the first 10 minutes are free, then ₩600 is added every 10 minutes. The commentary covers in turn the walls built on the hills, the moat made by drawing on the Seongnaecheon stream, the restored palisade and the storage pits at the pit-dwelling site.

The commentary says the area of today's Songpa-gu and Gangdong-gu was Hanseong, the capital of Baekje in its founding period. People often think of Gongju and Buyeo as the centers of Baekje, but before them Baekje built its history and culture here for about 500 years, and the Hangang River was a good trade route. Mongchontoseong, built beside the river, is introduced as the royal fortress that firmly protected that palace.

The fortress was built using the hills that run down from Namhansanseong just as they were. Where the slopes were gentle, soil was cut away to steepen them, and in low places clay was piled up to raise the walls, so the height of the wall varies slightly from point to point. The excavated artifacts suggest it was built in the first half of the 4th century, and the commentary says Goguryeo, after taking Hanseong, used the fortress until the mid-6th century.

It was then barely used, though people seem to have lived inside again in the Joseon period; the forgotten fortress was discovered and excavated during preparations for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The flatland fortress of the same capital is in our Pungnap Earthen Fortress guide, and your whole Seoul itinerary continues in our Seoul guide.

According to the commentary, traces of the moat have been found on three sides, all except the south. Some fortresses used natural rivers as moats, but this moat was man-made using the flow of the Seongnaecheon, a branch of the Hangang River. Mongchonho Lake and 88 Lake in Olympic Park are introduced as recreations of that moat.

The palisade was built by drilling holes into the bedrock, setting main posts at regular intervals and supporting them with auxiliary posts around them. It is thought to have been over 2 m tall, and traces were found on the east and west walls. As you walk the fortress, you can see the structure in the restored palisade. The commentary interprets the palisade as the second line of defense, saying that the arrows of enemies who crossed the moat would have struck it.

Check before you visit Mongchontoseong

• Note that hours inside the fortress differ for walkers and cars.
• Decide the order in which you walk the restored palisade and the recreated moat.
• Plan your Mongchon History Museum visit between 9:00 and 18:00.
• Remember that only the first 10 minutes of parking are free.
• For inquiries, call +82-2-2147-2001.

According to Korea Tourism Organization information, it is open all year with no admission fee. Inside the fortress you can walk or cycle from 5:00 to 22:00, and cars may enter from 6:00 to 22:00. The Mongchon History Museum is open 9:00–18:00. Early-morning walks and walks after dark are possible, but museum visits must be in the daytime.

Parking is available; the first 10 minutes are free, and ₩600 is added every 10 minutes after that. By this fee table, 2 hours of parking comes to ₩6,600 (the first 10 minutes free and the remaining 110 minutes charged at ₩600 per 10 minutes). The closing days and visiting conditions of the Mongchon History Museum are not in the Korea Tourism Organization information, so check on site. Toilets are listed as available.

The pit-dwelling exhibition hall along the fortress path displays storage pits found inside the fortress. The pits are shaped like a lucky pouch, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, and 31 have been identified. Their exact use is uncertain, but similar pits have been found in many Bronze Age dwellings, and the commentary explains that they were made to store food because the temperature inside stays more constant than outside.

Small pottery vessels were found in some pits, which may be traces of vessels and food buried after a rite. Goguryeo pottery was also found, which is presented as evidence that Goguryeo used the fortress. The Hanseong-period royal tombs at Seokchon-dong continue in our Seokchon-dong Tumuli guide.

Good for:

• City walks: walk along the hills with no admission fee.
• Learning about Hanseong Baekje: see it in one flow with Pungnaptoseong and the Seokchon-dong Tombs.
• Families with children: the restored palisade and the pit-dwelling exhibition stand out.
• Getting around by bike: bicycles are allowed inside along with walkers.