Cheoinseong (처인성)
Not a fortress, per se, still a site of monumental historical significance. I know it doesn’t look like much, but the diminutive, rammed-earth walls of Cheoinseong witnessed one of the very few defeats of a Mongol Army in history. More incredibly, the invaders were turned back not by Goryeo’s professional soldiers but by a motivated group of peasants and Buddhist monks. Cheoinseong was a walled-in complex protecting a government warehouse, was the farthest south Mongol armies penetrated during the Second Mongol Invasion of Korea in 1232. The Mongol General Saritai—making his second incursion into the Kingdom of Goryeo—met his end below the rudimentary fortification, having fallen victim to an arrow loosed by the monk in command of the defense, Kim Yun-hu. With the commander of the invasion dead, the Mongols fell back from Cheoinsong, and then withdrew from Goryeo.
Cheoinseong is marked by a visitor’s center and memorial hall, done in a modern hanok style. Very visual, and clearly designed with kids in mind, its not a bad place to start if unfamiliar with the Mongol invasions of Korea.
This very nice marker of the battle includes a giant grayscale rendering of the most famous painting of the fight (included in color below).
It really doesn’t look like much, just a small rammed-earth wall about 10 meters high with a steep outer glacis. Still, considering no stone was used, the walls have survived 800 years pretty well, I think!
The small garrison had a single entry point, shown here.
Looking back toward the entry from the top of the far wall.
Looking along the longest stretch of continuous wall toward the highest point of the surviving rampart (the brownish patch of dirt to the right of the frame). 800 years of erosion will do a number on rammed-earth walls, so you can imagine a significantly higher—and slightly steeper—wall when the Mongols arrived, topped by a low wooden stockade.
The highest point of Choeinseong, and steepest section of outer wall.
The path surrounding Cheoinseong is studded with maps, letters, and artist conceptions of the battle. While I see the use of siege ladders as unlikely—and wholly unnecessary—the depiction of the low wooden stockade atop the wall and wooden-framed gateway are probably pretty accurate.
The painting mentioned above, currently hanging in the Korean War Memorial in Seoul, shows the moment when Saritai is struck by an arrow loosed by the monk Kim Yun-hu, killing the Mongol general and ending the Second Mongol Invasion.