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Introduce
Numerous topics related to Korean culture and art are mentioned in middle and high school national history textbooks, but most of them are briefly described by era, making it difficult to understand their concepts, transition processes, and characteristics.
<Culture & Art Stories from Korean History> produces and provides video materials based on expert commentary on the flow, change process, characteristics and characteristics of each major topic in the field of culture and art in Korean history.
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Scenario

Safety alerts designed to save our lives, or daily reports of accidents or other incidents, we read all of these messages easily on our smartphones.

But in a time before smartphones, how was urgent news sent? Messages were sent over radio waves, telegrams printed out at the post office, but what about when neither existed?

Smoke during the day and fire at night!
Let us introduce an early communication method, the beacon tower!

Quickest Communication Method “Bongsu”

When you walk along the wall of the Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, you will see several unique mounds standing tall along the wall.
What are they, you ask?
The most sophisticated piece of technology of its time, The Suwon Hwaseong Fortress bongdon, or beacon station.

The bongsu, or beacon fire, was a method of delivering messages from the country’s borders by either fire or smoke. It was a communications and defence system designed to defend the country.

The use of signal fires dates back to ancient times, but their systemized use didn’t begin until the Joseon dynasty.

“Light two towers if Japanese marauders are spotted by sea, three towers if the enemy then approaches our frontier, four if our ships engage them in battle, and five if the enemy makes landfall.” - Sejong Sillok (Veritable Records of King Sejong), May 26, 1419 (Year 1 of King Sejong)

In records of the first year of King Sejong’s reign, we can read how to interpret the signal fires based on the number of beacons lit.

During normal times of peace, one beacon would be lit at a designated time. If an enemy ship was spotted, two beacons would be lit. If the enemy approached, three. If they breached the border, four. And lastly, five would be lit if fighting began with the enemy.

Smoke was typically sent up early in the morning from the frontier. As the signal moved closer to Hanyang, the capital, the sun began to set. By the time it arrived in the early evening, the signal appeared like fireworks in the sky.

No matter where it began, a signal only took 12 hours to go from the frontier to the capital of Hanyang (Seoul), making it the fastest means of communication in the Joseon period.

But did you know that there were routes along which the beacon towers operated?

First, route 1 started at Hamgyeong-do and came down through Gangwon-do, route 2 started in Busan and passed through Gyeongsang-do via the Cheollimsan Station, route 3 began in Gangye, Pyeongan-do and passed through Hwanghae-do whereas route 4 began in Uiju, Pyeongan-do. And route 5 departed from Suncheon in Jeolla-do and passed through Gaehwasan. These were the routes the beacons followed.

By the reign of King Sejong, the beacon towers throughout the Korean Peninsula gradually took on several unique forms.
Joseon beacon towers were divided into three main types.

The first type is the gyeong bongsu (literally, capital beacon), located at the top of Namsan Mountain in Seoul. In the Joseon dynasty, this station was called the ongmyeoksan Mountain Bongsu, Mongmyeok being the old name for Namsan. It was the central station located in the capital. It served to gather messages from all stations nationwide and alert the king.

On the other hand, there was the beacon that could see every part of the great blue sea. The so-called yeonbyeon bongsu (literally, peripheral beacon) variety of beacon sat along the coastlines and national frontier, looking for the approach of the enemy.

The most common style of Joseon beacon tower was the naeji bongsu (or inland beacon), which served to connect the gyeong bongsu with the yeonbyeon bongsu.

The Seongnam Cheollimsan Beacon tower was a major inland beacon tower. It contained the most basic components of the naeji bongsu, including the staired entrance, protective walls, and five yeonjo, or smoke stacks.

“You can think of the yeonjo as like an agungi, or fireplace. The yeonjo is comprised of three parts - The gidan, a stylobate or stepped platform, the yeonjo, where one lit the fire, and the yeontong, or flue, for the smoke to escape. It is broken down into these three parts.” Jo Suhyeon, Academic Researcher / Seongnam-si

There is an opening in the yeonjo called a geohwagu where fuel can be added.
Rice sheaves act as tinder, while dried mugwort is said to have deepened the color of the smoke to help soldiers see it better. And horse and cow dung was used to keep the embers from going out.

What was life like for soldiers at the beacon stations?

One interesting thing about the beacon stations is that they included a housing facility for those who worked there. Barracks for beacon workers have been discovered near the beacon stations.

The artifacts discovered here are thought to be those used by beacon station soldiers.

A water jug to drink from while watching the beacon tower, a jar to store food, and a whetstone for sharpening weapons were all uncovered.

“Participant in the archaeological dig at Cheollimsan Beacon Soldiers were on standby 24/7, staring at the beacon, never knowing when the next signal might come. They slept and then waited for their turn to stand guard. They also had to cook and secure food supplies. An extraordinary number of people worked at a single beacon station.” Kim Chungbae, Manager / Land & Housing Museum

The soldiers slept and ate in a small structure near the station while on duty at the tower.
According to records, 100 people were employed at a single station. What did all these 100 people do at a station?

Records say that the actual number of people who worked at a station was 25—five rotational groups each of five people. The remaining 75 people didn’t actually work at the station but were in charge of food provisions and other financial support.

Personal records of a beacon tower soldier have been passed down for generations through his descendents.

The documents contain an appointment from the division command, a message telling soldiers to work more thoroughly, and an inventory of equipment and other items being kept at the beacon station.

Although there was a detailed management system in place, there were times when the beacon towers didn’t function properly.

“As enemy ships approached land, the final beacon never relayed the message. The one in charge of the station was unable to fulfill his duties.” - Injo Sillok (Veritable Relics of King Injo), July 8, 1631 (Year 9 of King Injo)

There were times when war broke out, and the very first beacon tower that should’ve sent out an alert failed to do so.

Working at the beacon stations was extremely difficult. Summers were hot, winters were cold, and one had always to be on guard. There was a rule that the job was to be passed on to one’s children. And there were some soldiers who neglected their duties.

Yet even in these tough conditions, soldiers worked hard to keep their country safe. But they were no match for the forces of nature.

“If the clouds were dark or the winds particularly strong, it was difficult for the beacons to relay messages. Then signalling guns, trumpet horns, gongs, anything that could be seen or heard were used as signals. However, they had difficulty delivering messages between stations with these. Eventually, during King Gojong’s reign, a modern communications system was developed that eventually lead to the abolishment of beacon towers.” Kim Juheong, Expert / Cultural Heritage Administration, History Division

Our ancestors, who looked to the beacon towers every day and only felt comfortable to carry on with their day once they were assured all was safe.

Although they have vanished into the past, the beacon towers stand guard to this day, forever protecting the country like guardian deities.

[Epilogue]
Must-Know Facts on Culture and Art in Korean History

1. The beacon tower/bongs was a military communications system that relayed to the nation’s center messages about the security of the border and coasts.
2. The three types of Joseon beacon towers are the gyeong bongsu, yeonbyeon bongsu, and naeji bongsu.
3. Messages were sent by smoke during the day and by fire at night.

Beacon Towers