If you see some smoke coming from the top of Namsan hill in Seoul, now you know what it means:

Republic of Korea – The city of Seoul offers many cultural experiences close to Yongsan Garrison. One of them is a reanimation of Bongsudae, a Korean beacon tower lighting ceremony between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. every day except Mondays.

The event is located at the top of Namsan Park near the Seoul Tower and octagonal pavilion (Palgackjung ). In the ceremony, Korean actors dressed in traditional Korean military uniforms reenact how Bongsudae was used in the Chosun dynasty.

“Bongsu” is a combination of the Korean words “Bong” which means torchlight and “Su” meaning smoke. Bongsu was a communication system used to send messages across the peninsula by using smoke during daytime and fire during the night.

At the peak of the Chosun dynasty, 673 beacon towers transmitted military and political information from around the peninsula to the capital Seoul. Historical records state that it took 12 hours for a message to travel from Busan to Seoul, two cities approximately 500 kilometers apart.

Built in 1394, Namsan Bongsudae consists of 5 beacons. During peacetime, one was lit. When an enemy appeared, two were lit. Three was lit when an enemy approached the border, four when the enemy invaded the border. All five beacons lit meant a war had begun.

Namsan Bongsudae served as the destination point for all beacons in the peninsula because of its proximity to the King. It was used for over 500 years before it was closed down.

There were a total of five different Bongsudaes in Namsan to receive incoming message from all directions. They were destroyed over the course of time, and the current Bongsudae was reconstructed based on historical records in one of the five locations.

To go to Namsan by public transport, take the yellow bus 03 which stops at across Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon and at Itaewon fire station.  [USFK.mil]

It is good to see Korea continue to promote its cultural heritage by doing things such as this as well as the changing of guard ceremonies and the reconstruction of the old city walls and gates.