South Korean Troops Thought They Found a Landmine. It Was a 600-Year-Old Gun

Since 1966, Geumseong Mountain has served as a strategic post for the South Korean military’s air defense forces. But in recent years, authorities have been removing landmines to reopen the premises for civilian hikers—a decision that’s led to a landmark discovery for military history

In 2023, the ring of a landmine detector stopped Korean soldiers in their tracks. When they dug the ground to retrieve a landmine, however, they instead found a small firearm, at roughly 9 inches (23.8 centimeters)…