NAMHAE — South Gyeongsang Province has designated Namhae Daejanggun-ji, a Goryeo-era site in Seoho-ri, Seo-myeon, Namhae County, as a provincial monument.
The province announced the designation on the 1st, citing the site's importance for understanding the Mongol invasions of the late Goryeo period, the resistance mounted by the Sambyeolcho military corps, and maritime defense and military activity along the southern coast.
The Sambyeolcho was a military organization created during Goryeo's military rule. It continued fighting the Mongols even after the Goryeo court returned to Gaegyeong in 1270. The resistance began on Ganghwa Island and later moved to Jindo and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, and the Namhae area was also significant for maritime traffic and military operations at the time. Against that backdrop, the province said, the Namhae site offers a window into Sambyeolcho activity along the southern coast and the region's defense system.
Excavations confirmed five stepped terraces along with large retaining walls and drainage facilities. Researchers found that building foundations laid in the mid-Goryeo period were later expanded, with the retaining walls and drainage installed in stages. That spatial layout shows features similar to those of Yongjangseong Fortress on Jindo, known as a main Sambyeolcho stronghold.
The province said it designated the monument after weighing the historical and academic value of the Sambyeolcho connection together with the fact that the site has been preserved through local residents' memories and oral tradition.
Jeong Yeong-cheol, director general of the provincial culture and sports bureau, said the Namhae site is a meaningful place for examining the late Goryeo resistance against the Mongols and Sambyeolcho activity at the local level. "With this provincial monument designation as a starting point, we will preserve the site in its original form and prepare systematic plans for conservation and use so that residents and visitors can easily grasp its historical significance," he said.
The province plans to work with Namhae County to continue monitoring the condition of the designated heritage site and to pursue further excavation surveys.
