Hwangnyeongsan Beacon Station

Beacons were a smoke-and-fire signal communication system used to convey military information, such as enemy invasions. The beacons were installed on mountaintops for visibility, and the military situation was conveyed through the number of beacons lit: one indicated peace, two indicated an enemy sighting, three an enemy approaching the border, four an enemy crossing the border, and five a battle taking place. When signals could not be transmitted due to fog, clouds, rain, or wind, other means such as the sound of cannon fire, horn signals, or gongs were used. If these were also unavailable, beacon soldiers would run to the next beacon station to deliver the message. During the Joseon period (1392-1910), information was relayed to the central government through a nationwide network of beacon stations. The network consisted of five main lines, with local auxiliary lines placed between them. This system remained in use until 1894, when the modern communication system was introduced.

Hwangnyeongsan Beacon Station is presumed to have existed before 1425. As the central beacon station of the Busan area, it received signals from Gubong Beacon Station in Choryang to the west and relayed them to Ganbiosan Beacon Station in Haeundae to the east and Gyemyeongsan Beacon Station to the north. The station was administered by Dongnae-bu, and its personnel worked in shifts, including ten commanders, one supervisor, and 100 beacon soldiers. According to the posthumous writings of Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598), the renowned admiral of the Japanese invasions of 1592-1598, it was a beacon soldier named Bae Dol-i who first reported the Japanese invasion at Busanpo Port on the 14th day of the 4th lunar month in 1592.

Hwangnyeongsan Beacon Station was restored in October 1976, and a conservation and landscaping project was carried out in the surrounding area in June 2000.