Walls of Mt Jongbang

Pyongyang, May 28 (KCNA) -- The Walls of Mt Jongbang in Sariwon City of North Hwanghae Province, the DPRK are a stone fortification built in the period of Koryo (918-1392). The walls, rebuilt in 1637, show the high masonry of the Korean nation. The walls, 12 kilometers long in perimeter, were considered as the strongest one in the province for defending the main route lying from south to north in the western coastal area of Korea. The walls are five or six meters high on an average, but over 10 meters high in the area of its south gate. And loopholes can be seen at intervals of about two meters along the parapet. There still remains building sites for barracks, armory and granary inside the walls. According to an archive, there had been four ponds, seven wells and forty-eight temples inside the walls. Songbul Temple, the famous one built in the period of Koryo, and a stone pagoda are still preserved there. During the Imjin Patriotic War (1592-1598), volunteer armies gave wholesale deaths upon the Japanese invaders in Hwangju and Pongsan areas, while stationing at the walls. Now, the walls of Mt Jongbang serve as a precious treasure showing the good qualities of the Korean nation and a resort for people. -0-