Namwon

Namwŏn stands in an inland basin of Chŏlla, near the routes leading east through Korea's southern mountains. Its town wall was begun on King Sŏngjong's orders in 1477 and completed before 1492. During the renewed Japanese invasion of 1597, the fortress became the scene of a major battle as the invaders advanced into Chŏlla. Its defences placed the town at the centre of the struggle for the province.