Monument in Changnyeong Commemorating the Border Expansion by King Jinheung of Silla

Monument in Changnyeong Commemorating the Border Expansion by King Jinheung of Silla
  • Address : (next to Changnyeong Museum) 87-1, Gyo-ri, Changnyeong-eup, Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do
  • Designated No : National Treasure
  • Designated Date : 1962.12.30.
  • Historical Period : Three Kingdoms Period (22nd year of King Jingheung’s reign: 561)

Originally, it was discovered by a student at the bottom of Mt. Hwawang but the official study was reported on February 7, 1914 by a Japanese principal named Hashimoto of Changnyeong Elementary School.

It was then moved in 1924 to today’s Manokjeong Pavilion and has been there since. The monument is commonly referred to as Soonsubi (also the monuments commemorating the border expansions by King Jinheung of Silla) but unlike Soonsubi Monuments in Mt. Bukan, Hwangchoryeong and Mawoonryeong, this one does not have the engraved phrase, ‘Soonsugwanggyeong’ which means ‘to visit and look after the border’ and since it only lists the people who were related to the border expansion and the King’s reign over the newly occupied territory, this particular monument is called Cheokgyeongbi.

In ancient China, the emperors carried out soonsu (tour of the territory), held rites for the gods of heaven and erected monuments commemorating the tour. Qin Shi Huang (BC.259∼BC.210) of the Qin Dynasty of China first began to carry our this practice.

The monument has the typical style of the monuments built during the Three Kingdoms period such that it is a natural stone which does not have a pedestal stone or capstone. One side of the stone was grinded and flattened and a line was carved along the edges. However, because the right corner was slanted, the line was carved in the shape of stairs.

The inscription on the monument has 27 lines. The number of letters varies from line to line. The last line only has three letter but one line has as much as 26 letters. The inscription is divided into 3 sections: the date (February in the year of the Metal Snake) of the tour, historical record and the persons who followed the tour. The personnel records include the persons’ affiliated departments, persons’ names, posts and ranks, following the typical Silla Dynasty’s style of monument format during the Three Kingdoms period.

The inscription is written with the Hasechae Font and the letters are 4cm-by-4cm and some letters are unreadable due to abrasions.