Understanding of Iksan Mireuksanseong and Surrounding Sites in the Documentary Records
Authors:   THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE MAHAN-BAEKJE CULTURE, Kim Byung-Nam 
Published: July 2022

Mireuksanseong has functioned as an important base in Iksan since early times. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the meaning of this Mireuksanseong and its future preservation and utilization. In this regard, We looked at how it was described in the existing documentary records, and also looked into the tradition and heritage of Iksan by identifying important relics around it.
First of all, It is recorded that Iksan is related to Mahan in the geography records of the Samguksagi and the Goryeosa. However, considering that most of the geography records of this period is a description of the origin of the place names in Gunhyeon, the fact that Mireuksanseong was specially added means that it occupies a large proportion in Iksan.
After that, most of the geography records compiled during the Joseon Dynasty were written that Iksan was the place where King Kijun came down to the south, and that it became Geummajeo during the reign of King Onjo of Baekje. However, changes such as the exclusion of the connection between Iksan and Mahan were observed in the Daedongjiji in the late Joseon Dynasty, but the general view was still there. In addition, most of the cultural resource elements of Iksan did not differ significantly from the description of Sinjeungdonggukyeojiseungram.
In the case of Mireuksanseong, the geography records of Goryeosa and Sejongsilrok in the 15th century was recorded as ‘Mireuksan-sanseong’, but by the 16th century, it was changed to ‘Kijunseong’. This is related to the legitimacy of the establishment of a nation called ‘Joseon’, and it appears in most of the various records related to geography.
Meanwhile, the situation of Iksan in the 18th century, the late Joseon Dynasty, can be confirmed through the records of Yugeummaseonggi(1738) and Geummaji(1756). However, despite a direct visit to Mireuksa Site, Wanggung-ri Remains, Mireuksanseong, and Ssangneung, Yugeummaseongki maintained the point of view that the Geumma(Iksan) area was related to King Kijun, thus reducing the value of the record. Geummaji also subdivided the ruins of Wanggung-ri into palace sites, royal palace sites, royal towers, and royal palace wells, but it did not escape the tendency to link the grounds of related ruins with Mahan.
In the 19th century, various maps of Iksan-gun contained the contents of the same relics as those of geography records, and as time went on, more geography and cultural information were included. Accordingly, Iksangunjido(1872) recorded the current status and location of villages, which are the core of local history, and made ‘Mireuksanseong(Kijungoseong)’ and Wanggung-ri sites substantively recognized.
In this way, Mireuksanseong has been around since Goryeosa, Sejongsillokjriji, Sinjeungdonggukyeojiseungram, Donggukyeoji, Yugeummaseonggi, Geummaji, Daedongjiji and Haedongjiji, Yeojido, Gwangyeodo, Iksangunjido(1872) etc., It appears in all kinds of geography- related records. This is one proof that the historical status of Mireuksanseong is so important.