Mt. Bukhan Monument for King Jinheung’s Inspection

In the mid-6th century, the Silla Kingdom had achieved its greatest territorial expansion, and King Jinheung (r. 540-576) embarked on a tour of the kingdom, focusing particularly on the expanded border regions. He had several stone monuments erected to mark the stops on his tour, of which four are known today. This particular monument was erected around 555 CE at the top of Bibong (Monument Peak) on Mt. Bukhan, which is located in Gugi-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. The monument commemorates Silla’s conquer of the area around the middle and lower reaches of the Han River, which was the most strategic geographical point for all three of the ancient Korean kingdoms. King Jinheung’s monuments had been all but forgotten until 1816, when Kim Jeong-hui (1786-1856), a renowned epigrapher came across an old moss-covered stone marker, and discovered that it was one of King Jinheung’s fabled steles. The inscription has been severely defaced, but the parts that remain legible reveal that the monument was erected to commemorate the visit of the Silla King, Jinheung, to the area around the Han River, which his kingdom had newly conquered. It also lists the members of the royal entourage who were on the mountaintop with the king, as well as some details about the background and conservation of the monument. In 1972, the monument was moved from its original location to the National Museum of Korea.