조선시대 서울 지역의 봉수대 설치와 운영

Installment and Management of Beacon lighthouses in the area of Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty

The beacon system had been put to a practical use since the era of Three Kingdom period and it survived through the times of the Goryo dynasty and the Joseon dynasty. Even after the Joseon dynasty moved its capital to Hanyang from Gaegyeong, the beacon system functioned efficiently its role as a nationwide military network. After the foundation of the Joseon, the beacon system had to be reorganized and improved around the capital Hanyang utilizing the existing beacon system of the Goryo dynasty. Therefore, it was only needed to install beacon lighthouses in Hanyang and inland area beacon lighthouses in the vicinity of Hanyang. It was in 1423 when the beacon system of the Joseon dynasty was completed setting up five beacon lighthouses in Namsan and their networking with inland area beacon lighthouses. With the advent of the modern communication technology, Telegraph, the national communication system was established in the year of 1895 and this led to the abolishment of the beacon system. The beacon network of the Joseon dynasty passed through rearrangements. Achasan beacon lighthouse changed its location several times maintaining the name, and Cheonlimsan beacon lighthouse made alternation of its location. The number of beacon guards and their assistants varied according to the importance of a beacon lighthouse and the circumstances of the regions. In the latter part of the Joseon Dynasty, inland area beacon lighthouses are comprised of twenty five beacon guards and fifty to seventy five assistants including one director. A unit of five people worked on a five-shift system a month and one beacon guard was attended by two to three assistants.