South Korea · 2nd century
Bukhansanseong ranks #4,448 of 9,040 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #15 of the 57 mapped in South Korea. Founded 132, it is older than 98% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 22 atlas entries founded in the 2nd century. 12 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Seoul, 9 km away. See how South Korea compares in the castle statistics.
Bukhansanseong (Korean: 북한산성; Hanja: 北漢山城) is a Joseon-era Korean fortress in Bukhansan National Park, South Korea. The present fort was completed in 1711, though plans for the structure date back to 1659. The name is also given to a fortress mentioned in the Samguk sagi, constructed by Gaeru of Baekje in 132 CE, and the two are often conflated although the putative connection is contested.
The modern Bukhansanseong was built to protect the approach to Seoul, filling a gap in Korea's defences that had become apparent during the second Manchu invasion of 1636 and the earlier Imjin War. The Bukhansanseong was used as a royal retreat in emergencies, and contains 120 rooms.
Text adapted from “Bukhansanseong” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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