Statue of General Gwon Yul, defender of Haengjusanseong in 1593. It is surrounded by bronze plates depicting scenes of the desperate battle.
These are the bronze plates that adorn the general’s monument. These plates include the key elements in the defense to include multiple depictions of the Hwacha artillery corps, the hastily piled rocks used to improve the position, many images of archers, fighting hand-to-hand, and women carrying rocks in their skirts to the defensive lines. Most importantly, perhaps, each plate represents a segment of the Korean populace fighting at Haengju: government soldiers, peasant guerrillas, Buddhist clergy (monks), and civilians (women).
Haengju Fortress was constructed by the Korean Kingdom of Baekje (18 BC-660 AD) before masonry technology had been widely accepted on the Korean Peninsula. This means there is very little left behind recognizable as a castle or fortress and a lot of imagination is required to “see” this site as it would have appeared. This picture looks out to the northwest through what would have been the main gate. The V-shape provided by the left and right paths here is all that remains to suggest the walls converging at this entry point.
The slope here continues at this angle for nearly the entire approachable northwestern side of Haengjusanseong. This is not a natural feature and forms the “walls” of this rammed-earth and wooden castle.
Another view of the northewest “wall” of Haengjusanseong.
Looking back along the “wall” toward the gate. The further you walk around the path, the more you notice the steep grade of the hill base increasing to the point where any rammed-earth construction was unnecessary. From this point on, the hill itself formed the “walls” of this ancient fortress.
Steep stairs leading from the lower level to the upper at Haengjusanseong. It is essentially this steep all the way around the hill except to the northwest, where the battle was fought. All other approaches were virtually impassable.
This view toward the east—toward Seoul—gives an indication of how high Haengjusan towers above ground-level. It really is the only significant terrain west of Seoul along the Han River.
A view to the south, looking over a misty Han River. The new bridge there is, aptly named, Haengjudaegyo. During the battle, as the Korean force began to run low on arrows, assistance was provided via the river. Troops ferried additional ammunition across the waterway to the base of the hill and lifted the bundles up to the fortress, allowing the defenders to keep up their murderous rate of fire.