Navy Headquarters of Chungcheong-do Province, Boryeong

The Navy Headquarters of Chungcheong-do Province, Boryeong was established in the early Joseon period and abolished in 1896, the 33rd year of Emperor Gojong. According to the Sejong sillok jiriji (the Geographical Appendix to the Veritable Records of King Sejong), the early Joseon naval command at Chungcheong and its subordinate units together comprised 142 warships and a total of 8,414 marines. Situated on the west coast of Chungcheong-do province, it protected grain-transport ships (joseonseon) bound for Hanyang and guarded against Japanese pirate raids; in the modern era it also served to monitor foreign ships appearing off the coast. In 1596, the 29th year of King Seonjo, the Chungcheong Naval Commander Choe Ho led the naval forces of the headquarters and its subordinate garrisons to Hansando Island off Namhae, where they came under the command of Naval Commander-in-Chief Won Gyun. The following year, on 1 July 1597 (Seonjo 30), they were defeated by Japanese forces, and Choe Ho was killed in battle together with Won Gyun. The headquarters also commanded fine views over the mouth of Cheonsuman Bay and was frequently visited by Joseon-period poets and literati; Yeongbojeong Pavilion within its walls was especially renowned. Galmajindu, just outside the west gate, was the place where military law was enforced at the headquarters, and it was also where five Catholic priests were martyred during the Byeongin Persecution of 1866. Apart from some sections damaged in modern times by road building and shoreline reclamation, the remaining fortress site and its surrounding terrain survive in almost original condition. As the naval command post established for military purposes in the Chungcheong region, it is a valuable relic showing the organisation of Chungcheong-do's naval forces and their enduring relationship with the naval garrisons stationed at strategic points along the region's sea routes, giving it great historical and scholarly value. (Note: the designation name was changed from Chungcheong Naval Headquarters to Navy Headquarters of Chungcheong-do Province, Boryeong, announced on 28 July 2011.)

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Boryeong, Chungnam

Designation

Historic Site · 사적