Chojijin Fort, Ganghwa

This is a fortress built to defend against enemies invading from the sea. Entries concerning the establishment of Chojijin in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and the Seungjeongwon ilgi indicate that it was set up in the sixth year of King Hyojong's reign (1655). It was the site of fighting against American and Japanese incursions in the 1870s: when American marines attacked Chojijin in 1871, the outmatched Korean defenders were defeated and the fort was occupied, and its military facilities, including the weapons arsenal and gunpowder magazine, were all destroyed. The subsequent invasion by the Japanese ship Unyangho, sent to force Joseon open by strength, led to the coercive Treaty of Ganghwa in the thirteenth year of Emperor Gojong's reign (1876), opening the way for Japanese aggression. The fort later fell into ruin, leaving only the site of the beacon mound (dondae) and the foundations of its walls, until the Choji beacon mound was restored in 1973. As a site bearing witness to a period of national hardship, its walls have been repaired and period cannon put on display, so that it may serve as a place for education in the spirit of national defence.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Ganghwa, Incheon

Designation

Historic Site · 사적