Buyeo Naseong excavation survey confirms Baekje Sabidoseong eastern gate site… Expectation of restoration of access and defense system

Confirmation of excavation survey report for Naseong on the outskirts of Sabido Fortress... Expectation of restoration of access and defense system

(Buyeo = Yonhap News) Reporter Yang Young-seok = Buyeo-gun, South Chungcheong Province, and the Baekje Cultural Foundation announced on the 3rd that they had newly identified the eastern gate site of Baekje's Sabido Castle during a prospecting survey of the Buyeo Naseong (Wolhamji) maintenance project site conducted with permission from the National Heritage Office.

In an investigation conducted from December of last year to last month, a previously unknown East Gate was newly identified along with the walls of Dongna Castle. The site (gate) where the gate was located is about 10 meters wide.

Buyeo County explained that most of the previously confirmed castle gates from the Three Kingdoms period were 4 to 5 meters wide, which was larger than the west gate gate of Pungnaptoseong Fortress, which was up to 7 meters wide. When fully excavated, the length of the gate is expected to reach more than 15 to 20 meters.

In the gate passage, traces of wooden pillars believed to have supported the gate tower were found arranged in a row, showing that it was likely a structure with two entrance passages on the left and right, Buyeo County said.

This was evaluated as an important achievement that demonstrates the Baekje royal capital's access system, which was planned to enable efficient passage of people and carts.

The Baekje stone wall construction techniques, such as installing ground stones and constructing a rectangular stone exterior wall, were well preserved in the fortress wall, and traces of changes to some parts of the structure were also confirmed, indicating that the fortress gate was repaired at least twice.

Buyeo Naseong is the outer fortress of Sabido Castle built when Baekje moved the capital to Sabi, and is a key facility that defended the capital and formed the boundary of the royal capital.

Buyeo County and the foundation plan to pursue a detailed excavation centering on Dongmunji starting next year.

Buyeo County said, “If full excavation is carried out, we expect to be able to secure important data that can comprehensively restore the entire structure of the large gate site and gate tower, as well as the access system, defense facilities, and urban planning of the Baekje royal capital.”