Yongin Pushes Ahead to Designate Harmisan Fortress as National Historic Site

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Yongin City is accelerating efforts to designate Yongin's Harmisan Fortress as a national historic site.

Harmisan Fortress is a mountain fortress from the Silla Dynasty located on Harmisan in Maseong-ri, Pogok-eup, Cheoin-gu.

It was built by Silla during its expansion into the Han River region in the mid-6th century and was recognized as an important resource showing the construction methods of mountain fortresses from the Silla period. It was designated as Gyeonggi Province Historic Site No. 215 in 2007.

The city has been promoting Harmisan Fortress development projects including land acquisition, excavation surveys, and fortress wall maintenance since 2010.

Excavation surveys were conducted seven times from 2011 through last year, during which important remains demonstrating the fortress's hierarchy were unearthed, including rectangular building foundations, water collection facilities, and an octagonal building site.

Through these artifacts, the city demonstrated that Harmisan Fortress served as a rear base for Silla's expansion into the Han River region and reaffirmed that ancient Yongin was a strategic military and transportation hub.

Since 2018, the city has commissioned research projects and held academic symposiums for the national historic site designation of Harmisan Fortress and, based on these results, applied to the Cultural Heritage Administration in 2019 for national historic site designation.

In particular, on the 11th of last month, following the city's sustained efforts and long wait, an on-site survey by the Cultural Heritage Administration was conducted.

The on-site survey team, consisting of three members including the chair of the Historic Sites Division of the Cultural Heritage Administration's Cultural Heritage Committee, toured Harmisan Fortress that day and conducted assessments of the cultural property's value according to national historic site designation criteria.

The decision on whether Harmisan Fortress will be designated as a national historic site will be determined following the on-site survey results and the Cultural Heritage Administration's Cultural Heritage Committee meeting.

The city expects that if Harmisan Fortress is designated as a national historic site, it will widely publicize the fortress's historical value and play a significant role in enhancing the city's image.

Most importantly, the city anticipates that 70 percent of the budget required for Harmisan Fortress excavation and maintenance can be supported by national funds, enabling more systematic restoration and management of Harmisan Fortress.

The city is currently conducting remains maintenance and fortress wall restoration work for the national historic site designation of Harmisan Fortress and plans to hold academic events next year to commemorate the 10th anniversary of excavation surveys at Harmisan Fortress.

A city official said, "National historic site designation requires comprehensive evaluation of the cultural property's historical value, maintenance status, and future plans, which takes considerable time and requires constant effort," adding "We will make all-out efforts in clarifying the academic value of Harmisan Fortress and maintaining remains to achieve favorable results."

Meanwhile, the city has three locations designated as national historic sites: Yongin Seori Goryeo Celadon Kiln Site (Historic Site No. 329), Yongin Bojeong-dong Ancient Tomb Group (Historic Site No. 500), and Yongin Simgok Seowon Confucian Academy (Historic Site No. 530).