경상남도 하동군 고전면과 횡천면, 양보면 일원에 위치하는 하동 정안산성은 고려시대 최씨무신정권기의 실력자이자 고려대장경 판각사업을 주도했던 하동 출신 정안 선생과 관련된 유적으로 전한다. 이에 하동군과 극동문화재연구원에서는 정안산성의 규모와 구조, 성격을 파악하여 역사적·문화재적 가치를 규명하고, 문화재 지정 및 복원·정비 계획 수립을 위한 기초자료를 확보하고자 지표조사와 발굴(시굴)조사를 실시하였다. 그리하여 먼저 지표조사를 실시하여 정안산성은 총 둘레 791.5m, 성내 면적 약 31,667㎡, 남북 최대길이 222.39m, 동서 최대길이 273.11m에 이르는 테뫼식 산성으로, 성내에는 건물지 12동과 문지, 집수지 등이 남아 있는 것을 확인하였다. 이어서 성벽과 건물지에 대한 발굴(시굴)조사를 실시하여 성벽은 자연경사면을 정지한 후 방형으로 가공한 석재를 5단 정도 쌓아 올린1차성(통일신라), 그 위에 토성의 형태로 구축한 2차성(고려 초), 현재 지표상에 드러나 있는 3차성(고려 중·후기) 등 세 차례에 걸쳐 축성되었음을 확인하였다. 그리고 건물지에서는 초석과 석열, 배수시설과 기와류가 다수 발견되어 성내에 여러 채의 기와건물이 있었음을 밝혔다. 아울러 성벽과 문지, 건물지, 집수지 등에서 발견된 토기류와 선문·격자문·사격자문·어골문 등이 타날된 기와, 명문기와 등을 통해 정안산성은 통일신라시대에 초축된 이래 정안 선생과 그의 선대가 중앙과 지방에서 실력자로 활동했던 고려시대 전·중기를 중심으로 축성·운영된 산성임을 분명히 하였다. 이상과 같은 조사를 통해 정안산성은 통일신라시대에 처음 축성된 이래 고려시대 최씨무신정권기의 실력자이자 고려대장경 판각사업을 주도했던 하동 출신 정안 선생과 관련된 역사적·문화재적 가치가 높은 산성으로 볼 수 있는 근거를 확보하였다고 할 수 있다. 하지만 지금까지 이루어진 지표조사와 발굴(시굴)조사는 매우 제한적인 조사로, 향후 정안산성의 정확한 성격과 정안 선생과의 관련성을 명확히 밝히기 위한 전면적인 정밀발굴조사가 이루어지기를 기대한다.

Hadong Jeongan-sanseong fortress extends over Gojeon-myeon, Hoengcheon-myeon and Yangbo-myeon of Hadong-gun county, Gyeongsangnam-do province. This fortress is said to be relics related to Jeong An, a native of Hadong, who acted as an influential person under the Choe military regime of the Goryeo Dynasty and also led the carving of the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks. Hadong-gun County and the Far East Cultural Properties Research Institute conducted a surface survey and an excavation (or trial digging) and investigation to identify the historical and cultural value of Jeongan-sanseong fortress by understanding its size, structure and characteristics and to obtain basic data for the designation as cultural properties as well as restoration and maintenance. As the result of the surface survey, the following facts were confirmed for Jeongan-sanseong fortress: It is a hilltop fortress with a circumference of 791.5 m, an area inside the fortress of approximately 31,667 ㎡, a maximum length of 222.39 m from south to north, and a maximum length of 273.11 m from east to west; there remained 12 building sites as well as gate sites and catchment sites. As the result of the excavation and investigation of the fortress wall and building sites, it was confirmed that the fortress was built through three stages: The 1st fortress-building was built by stacking about five rows of stones cut in square or rectangular shapes on the graded natural slope (the Unified Silla Kingdom); the 2nd fortress-building was built by creating an earthen wall on the first built fortress (the early Goryeo Dynasty); the 3rd fortressbuilding was built by establishing walls currently seen on the ground surface (the mid-to-late Goryeo Dynasty). There were cornerstones and stone rows, drainage facilities, and a large number of roof-tiles found in the building sites, suggesting that there were several buildings with roof-tiles inside the fortress. In addition, there were earthenwares, roof-tiles with linear pattern, square lattice pattern, oblique lattice pattern, fish bone pattern and other patterned roof-tiles found in fortress wall sites, gate sites, building sites, and catchment sites. This indicates that Jeongan-sanseong fortress was built and operated mainly in the early and middle period of the Goryeo Dynasty, when Jeong An and his ancestors acted as influential persons in the central and provincial regions, since it was first built in the Unified Silla period. The result of the aforementioned investigation provided the evidence that Jeongan-sanseong fortress has a high historical and cultural value as it is related to Jeong An, a native of Hadong, who acted as an influential person under the Choe military regime of the Goryeo Dynasty and led the carving of the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks, since it was first built in the Unified Silla period. However, the investigation has limitation in that surface surveys and excavation (or trial digging) and investigations were conducted in a limited scale. Thus, it is recommended that a further precise full-scale excavation and investigation be carried out to clarify the characteristics of Jeongan-sanseong fortress and its relation with Jeong An.