Site of the Mongmyeoksan Beacon Mound

About this place

A beacon mound (bongsudae) was an old means of communication that used torch flames and smoke to relay urgent news. People climbed a high mountain and lit fires, sending signals by smoke during the day and by firelight at night. The Namsan beacon mound was installed after the capital was moved to Hanyang in 1394 (3rd year of King Taejo of Joseon) and was used for about 500 years, until the year after the Gabo Reform. It was called the Mongmyeoksan beacon mound after the old name of Namsan, and also the Gyeongbongsudae because it was in Seoul. One fire was raised in normal times, two when an enemy appeared, three when the enemy approached the border, four when the border was crossed, and five when battle was joined with friendly forces at the border. As the central beacon mound where beacons from across the country arrived, the Namsan beacon mound played an important role. There are said to have been five sites running from east to west, but the beacon mounds are now gone and only the sites remain. As no records survive, the exact location cannot be confirmed, but one site was restored by combining related materials such as the Cheonggudo.