Hwabukbiseokgeo-ri

On Jeju Island, every long-established village has its own biseokgeori, a street lined with commemorative steles, and this one stands near Hwabuk Harbour. The Hwabuk area has long served as the first gateway linking Jeju to the mainland, and many officials passed through it; it is said that steles were erected here to commemorate the achievements of departing or newly arrived local officials, such as the Jeju moksa (the chief magistrate of Jeju-mok) or the pangwan (deputy magistrate), and to express regret at their parting. Thirteen steles survive in all, in various forms: some have two side pillars with the stele body set between them and a capstone on top, some consist simply of a plain rectangular stele body, and others have both corners rounded. The subjects of the steles are men who served as Jeju moksa — Yun Gu-dong, Yi Won-dal, Yi Hyeon-gong, Baek Hui-su, Gu Jae-ryong, Jang In-sik and Im Heon-dae — together with Yi Gyu-won, who served as chalisa (a special royal inspector), and Go Gyeong-jun, who served as pangwan; the steles commemorate these men and praise the benevolent government they gave. The inscriptions show officials leaving Jeju embellishing and boasting of their own achievements; because such steles were not subject to state control, they became even more common in the late Joseon period. The thirteen steles were erected at different times, but because some are damaged and worn, their exact dates of erection cannot be determined.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jeju City, Jeju

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물