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{{Short description|Fortress in Gyeonggi, South Korea}}
{{Expand Korean|topic=struct}}
{{Infobox historic site
| image         = Khitai5.jpg
| caption       = ''Sueojangdae'' (command post; 2002)
| location      = [[Gwangju, Gyeonggi|Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province]], South Korea
| designation1 = WHS
| designation1_type = Cultural
| designation1_date = 2014
| designation1_criteria = ii, iv
| designation1_number = 1439
| designation2 = Historic Sites of South Korea
| designation2_number = 57
| designation2_date = 1963-01-21
| designation2_offname = Namhansanseong Fortress
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 13
| coordinates   = {{coord|37|28|44|N|127|10|52|E|format=dms|display=title,inline}}
| area          = {{convert|409.06|ha|sqmi|abbr=on}}
| embedded      = {{Infobox Korean name/auto
|hangul=^남한산성
|hanja =南漢山城
|child=yes
}}
}}

'''Namhansanseong''' ({{Korean|hangul=남한산성|hanja=南漢山城}}) is a historic [[Korean fortress]] city in [[Gwangju, Gyeonggi|Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province]], South Korea. A UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]], the fortress lies atop the mountain [[Namhansan]] and stretches 12&nbsp;km in length. It served as an emergency capital city during the 1392–1910 [[Joseon]] period. The design is based on fortress architecture of [[East Asia]], embodying aspects of four historical cultural styles: Joseon of Korea, the [[Azuchi-Momoyama Period]] of [[Japan]], and [[Ming dynasty|Ming]] and [[Qing dynasty|Qing]] China.<ref name="hueworldheritage" /><ref name="unesco" />

It was extensively developed during the 16th to 18th centuries, a period of continuous warfare. The technical development of weaponry and armaments during this period, which saw the use of gunpowder imported from [[Europe]], also greatly influenced the architecture and layout of the fortress. Namhansanseong portrays how the various theories of defense mechanisms in Korea were put to form by combining the everyday living environment with defense objectives. The fortress indicates how Buddhism played an influential role in protecting the state, and it became a symbol of sovereignty in Korea.<ref name="hueworldheritage">{{cite web|url=http://www.hueworldheritage.org.vn/TTBTDTCDH.aspx?KenhID=0&ChuDeID=0&TinTucID=1888&l=en|title=UNESCO NEWS, Namhansanseong|access-date=8 May 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035329/http://www.hueworldheritage.org.vn/TTBTDTCDH.aspx?KenhID=0&ChuDeID=0&TinTucID=1888&l=en|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="unesco">{{cite web |title=Namhansanseong |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1439 |access-date=June 12, 2024 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Convention}}</ref>

It can be accessed from Seoul through [[Namhansanseong station]] of [[Seoul Subway Line 8]].

== History ==
Namhansanseong now lies atop the mountain [[Namhansan]]. This location made it highly defensible; even before the fortress's construction, a number of defensive structures existed in the area. A 2005 archaeological dig found a fortress called Jujangseong that dated to the 57–935 [[Silla]] period. During the [[Goryeo]] period, a fortification existed in the area that was called "Gwangju Fortress" ({{Korean|hangul=광주성|hanja=廣州城|labels=no}}).<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last=김 |first=길식 |title=남한산성 (南漢山城) |work=[[Encyclopedia of Korean Culture]] |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0012258 |access-date=2024-06-13 |publisher=[[Academy of Korean Studies]] |language=ko}}</ref>

The fortress's construction was motivated by the 1624 [[Yi Gwal's Rebellion]] and 1627 [[Later Jin invasion of Joseon]]. [[Injo of Joseon|King Injo]] ordered {{Ill|Yi Sŏ|ko|이서 (조선)}} to construct it. Buddhist monk-soldiers were recruited from all [[Eight Provinces of Korea|eight provinces]] for the task. Over time, features were continually added to the fortress; it eventually became the best-equipped in Korea. The fortress proper (excluding outermost walls) reached a circumference of {{Convert|7.545|km|mi|abbr=on}}. Its interior area was {{Convert|212.6637|ha|acres|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":0" />

Namhansanseong was constructed as an emergency capital city during war, and administrative center during peace.<ref name="unesco" /><ref name=":0" /> It had an emergency palace for the king, military buildings, and accommodations for regular people.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2024-05-14 |title=The hidden South Korean city built to thwart Manchu troops |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3262487/inside-south-koreas-hidden-emergency-capital-city-built-should-chinese-forces-invade-and-why-it |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}</ref> It was capable of housing around 4,000 people.<ref name=":1" /> Thus, both commoners and king were expected to live in the fortress, unlike in some European castles where commoners were made to live outside the fortifications.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Namhansanseong Fortress and the City of Luxembourg |url=http://www.koreanheritage.kr//feature/view.jsp?articleNo=42 |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=Korean Heritage |language=ko}}</ref>[[File:남한산성 북문 (2).jpg|thumbnail|250px|Namhansanseong North Gate|right]][[File:남한산성 서문 (2).jpg|thumbnail|187x187px|Namhansanseong West Gate|right]][[File:1959년 남한산성 수어장대.jpg|thumb|240x240px|The command post (1959)]]
The fortress played a role in a number of historic events. In the early 20th century, it was the site of battles between the [[righteous armies]] and the Japanese. In 1907, the Japanese destroyed much of the fortress, in order to decrease its utility to Koreans.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Fennell |first=Matthew |title=UNESCO World Heritage Series: Part 9 - Namhansanseong |url=https://asiasociety.org/korea/unesco-world-heritage-series-part-9-namhansanseong |access-date=June 12, 2024 |website=Asia Society}}</ref> The fortress lost its function as the town center due to the relocation of the Gwangju County Office in 1917,<ref>{{Cite web |title=[K-Heritage] Namhansanseong 상세보기{{!}}UNESCO NewsPermanent Delegation of the Republic of Korea to UNESCO |url=https://overseas.mofa.go.kr/unesco-en/brd/m_8666/view.do?seq=760966&srchFr=&amp;srchTo=&amp;srchWord=&amp;srchTp=&amp;multi_itm_seq=0&amp;itm_seq_1=0&amp;itm_seq_2=0&amp;company_cd=&amp;company_nm= |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (South Korea)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]]}}</ref> resulting in a downgrade to a remote mountain village.<ref name=":2" /> Then, the fortress suffered population loss and material loss during the 1950–1953 [[Korean War]].<ref name=":2" /> Nowadays, Namhansanseong is a tourist attraction, after undergoing large-scale wall restorations and being designated as a provincial park since the 1970s. It has seen a dramatic increase in the number of restaurants and various visitor facilities since the 1980s. The Emergency Palace and the Royal Ancestral Shrine within the fortress have been actively restored based on various studies on Namhansanseong since the 1990s, and it was listed on the World Heritage tentative list in 2010. It was inscribed on the [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage]] list in 2014.<ref name=unesco />

Since the 17th century, Namhansanseong has been managed and preserved by the residents for generations. Most fortress towns in Korea underwent severe deformation and change during Japanese colonial times and the period of industrialization and urbanization, resulting in losing their original layout and forms. However, Namhansanseong retained its original layout because the Japanese colonial government relocated the administrative functions and demolished its military functions in the earlier stage of colonization, leaving it as an isolated mountain village thereafter.

== Conservation management ==
The Namhansanseong World Heritage Centre is responsible for managing and monitoring the cultural heritage of Namhansanseong, while the Namhansanseong Provincial Park Office is responsible for managing and monitoring visitor facilities within Namhansanseong and the provincial park area, in accordance with the 2012 Basic Plan on Comprehensive Improvement of Namhansanseong.<ref name=unesco />

== Protection and management requirements ==
{{More citations needed|section|date=August 2023}}
Namhansanseong is protected under the Cultural Heritage Protection Act (CHP Act) and the Natural Park Act on the national level. There are also specific ordinances and regulations at the province and city levels. On the basis of the CHP Act, the entire property is designated as a historic site and has a buffer zone surrounding the area with limitations and regulations on development and construction. The entire heritage and buffer zone is also protected as a Provincial Park covering a wider area. Under these frameworks, a Conservation Management Plan has been established to ensure the long-term protection of the fortress and the town within. A special independent entity called the Namhansanseong World Heritage Centre is responsible for the overall management of its heritage in cooperation with the Namhansanseong Provincial Park Office, the residents, local governments, experts and the central government.

Financial support comes from the national and provincial governments, and the projects are managed and operated by the Namhansanseong World Heritage Centre. A monitoring system controls the appropriate use and execution of financial resources and proposed plans.

The current status of conservation can be evaluated in three components called the military component, the governing component, and the folk component. The military component includes the fortress walls and structures, outer walls, Chimgwaejeong Arsenal, and Buddhist temples. The governing component comprises Jwajeon Shrine, Usil Shrine site, the Emergency Palace, Jwaseungdang Hall and the site of Inhwagwan Guest house. The folk component includes steles, pavilions, and intangible heritage such as rituals and rites. All these subcomponents are recorded and are managed appropriately for the form and type of heritage.

Threats to preservation of the site include developmental pressures, environmental pressures, natural disasters, risk preparedness, visitor pressure and land use. Development pressures are relatively low for Namhansanseong as the property area and buffer zones are effectively controlled by the CHP Act, the Natural Park Act and urban management planning. Visitor pressure is perhaps the highest risk factor in Namhansanseong. For the sustainable conservation of the fortress areas, preventive measures include studies on carrying capacity, regular estimation of expected visitors, and utilizing planning mechanisms with legal instruments.<ref name=unesco />

== Gallery ==
{{wide image|SeoulPanorama.JPG|1000px|View of downtown Seoul from the fortress wall}}
{{Gallery
|Namhansanseong South.jpg
|South gate of the fortress (2010)
|Namhansanseong gate10.jpg
|Gate no. 10 (2010)
|Korea Namhansanseong Fortress 06 (13956678988).jpg
|Emergency Palace (2014)
}}

==In media and literature==
* The novel ''Namhansanseong'' by [[Kim Hoon]] is based on the Second Manchu invasion of Korea in 1636, where King Injo of Joseon took refuge in the fortress.<ref>Koh Young-aah [http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20090925000006 "Musicals hope for seasonal bounce"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323210211/http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20090925000006 |date=2020-03-23 }} ''Korea Herald''. 30 March 2010. Retrieved 2012-03-30</ref>
* The 2009 [[musical theatre|musical]] ''Namhansanseong'', based on the novel of the same name, focuses on the lives of common people and their spirit of survival during harsh situations. It starred [[Yesung]] of [[boy band]] [[Super Junior]] as villain ''Jung Myung-soo'', a servant-turned-interpreter. It was performed from 9 October to 14 November at [[Seongnam Arts Center]] Opera House.<ref>[http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2009091509371533111 "2 Super Junior members cast for musical"] ''Asiae''. 15 September 2009. Retrieved 2012-04-17</ref>
* ''[[Dae Jang Geum]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Dong Yi (TV series)]]'' (2010)
* ''[[The Slave Hunters]]'' (2010)
* ''[[Nobody's Daughter Haewon]]'' (2013)
* ''[[The Fortress (2017 film)|The Fortress]]'', a 2017 film directed by [[Hwang Dong-hyuk]], the Korean title of which is the name of this fortress itself (Namhansanseong).
* ''[[My Dearest]]'' (TV series 2023 - early episodes)

== See also ==
* [[Korean fortress]]
* [[Bukhansanseong]]
* [[History of Korea]]
* [[List of fortresses in Korea]]
* [[Hwaseong Fortress]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Namhansanseong}}
* [http://www.gg.go.kr/namhansansung-2/ Namhansanseong Official Webpage (Korean)]
* [https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/namhansanseong Namhansanseong World Heritage Center at Google Cultural Institute ]

{{Joseon}}
{{World Heritage Sites in South Korea}}
{{Castles in South Korea}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Castles in South Korea]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Gyeonggi Province]]
[[Category:Parks in Gyeonggi Province]]
[[Category:Historic Sites of South Korea]]
[[Category:Military history of Seoul]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Gyeonggi Province]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in South Korea]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures of Joseon]]