Hampyeong Anti-Western Stele

A cheokhwabi, or anti-Western stele, was a monument erected by order of Heungseon Daewongun, who pursued a policy of national isolation after leading Korea to victory in the French invasion of 1866 and the American invasion of 1871. Such steles were set up along major roads in Seoul and throughout the country to more firmly impress on the people the resolve to reject Western powers and guard against their aggression. There were no regulations on the scale or size of the steles, but the inscribed text was to be identical on every one. This stele, standing within Hampyeong Park, consists of a stele body set on a low square base, with the top edge of the body rounded off. The inscription carries a sternly worded warning: "When the Western barbarians invade, if we do not fight them we must make peace with them; to advocate peace is the same as selling the country. Let this be made known to our descendants for ten thousand generations." The cheokhwabi erected simultaneously across the country in 1871, the eighth year of Emperor Gojong's reign, were later mostly removed or damaged by the Japanese as relations with foreign countries developed. This stele is one of the few cheokhwabi that survive, the largest in size among them, and it is valuable as the only surviving relic of the enlightenment period in South Jeolla Province.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Hampyeong, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료