Operating since 1459, Ulsan Gaewoonpo Gyeongsang Jwasuyeong Fortress
Joseon Early Navy Manhojin Undergoes Continuous Change and Development
'Ulsan Gaewoonpo Gyeongsangjwasuyeongseong (蔚山 開雲浦 慶尙左水營城)', a fortress demonstrating the construction method of early Joseon naval fortresses, has been designated as a nationally designated cultural heritage site. On the 7th, the National Heritage Agency announced that it will establish a systematic preservation and management plan together with Ulsan Metropolitan City.
The fortress was operated as the Gyeongsangjwa Naval Command Headquarters, the naval command of Gyeongsangjwa Province, from the 5th year of King Sejo's reign (1459) to the 39th year of King Jungjong's reign (1544). Gyeongsangjwa Province was the administrative district of Gyeongsang Province east of the Nakdong River during the Joseon Dynasty, and the Naval Command Headquarters refers to what is today the Naval Command.
Gaewoonpo was an East Coast port located in Ulju-gun, Ulsan Metropolitan City. Due to its strategic location, it was effective in responding to external invasions, and from the early Joseon period, a naval manhojin (a military camp led by a manho, a military officer dispatched to key coastal points) was established. After being reorganized into Gyeongsangjwasuyeong, a stone fortress was constructed and used as Gyeongsangjwasuyeongseong.
This site was used as a rear base for militia activities during the Imjin War. In the late Joseon period, when the Gaewoonpo navy moved its camp to Busan, it was used as a shipyard (Seonso) for docking Eupjeonseon (military ships deployed in Gyeongsang, Jeolla, and Chungcheong provinces) of the Ulsan Dohobu. It remained a naval base until the military system was abolished in 1895.
The National Heritage Agency regarded the site as having high historical and academic value because it allows for the examination of the changes and development processes of the Joseon naval system through its transformation. An official stated, "In particular, the preservation state of fortress facilities such as the fortress walls, moat (a ditch surrounding the fortress for defense), and gate sites, as well as related relics like beacon mounds, is quite good," and evaluated that "it is very important for the study of the construction methods and structure of naval fortresses built in the early Joseon period."
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