Chungcheong Suyeongseong Fortress, Boryeong

On a hill behind Ocheon Harbour in Boryeong stand the stone walls of what was once the naval headquarters of Joseon's Chungcheong Province. The fortress looks out over the mouth of Cheonsu Bay, so from the walls you take in the sea, the islands and the harbour at a glance, and the view was famous enough that Joseon poets came here on purpose to write about it. The fortress is small, and an unhurried walk takes about an hour.

Naval headquarters of the west coast

The Chungcheong naval command was founded in the early Joseon period and guarded the province's west coast until it was closed in 1896. According to the geography section of the Annals of King Sejong, the command and its subordinate bases had 142 warships and 8,414 sailors in the early Joseon years. Its job was to escort the grain-tax ships sailing up the coast to the capital and to fight off Japanese pirates, and in the late 19th century it also kept watch on unfamiliar Western ships. The stone walls you see today date from the 16th century.

In 1597, during the second Japanese invasion, the provincial naval commander Choe Ho took his fleet south to fight under Admiral Won Gyun and was killed alongside him. The fortress became a national Historic Site in 2009, valued because not only the walls but also the surrounding terrain have kept their historic form, making it a key place to understand how naval bases were sited.

What to see

• Manghwamun Gate: an arched gateway built of polished granite blocks, the way into the fortress, with finely fitted stonework.
• Yeongbojeong Pavilion: once the fortress's best-known pavilion, rebuilt on the hilltop overlooking the sea. Inside hang boards carved with poems by Joseon literati.
• Old naval offices: below the fortress, in the village, survive buildings such as the inner three-door gate, the officers' hall and the relief office. The inner gate has a raised central roof.
• The wall walk: follow the walls for changing views over Ocheon Harbour, Cheonsu Bay and the islands across the water.

A painful memory by the shore

Galmajindu, on the shore outside the west gate, was where the naval command carried out military punishments, and during the Catholic persecution of 1866 Catholic clergy were martyred here. Many visitors to the fortress are pilgrims who also visit the martyrs' shrine.

The only naval command for Chungcheong

Joseon grouped its coastal forces into provincial naval commands called suyeong. Gyeongsang and Jeolla each had two, a left and a right command, but Chungcheong had only this one, so every naval post along the Chungcheong coast answered to this fortress. Stand on the walls and you can see why the site was chosen: tucked deep in Cheonsu Bay, sheltered from heavy seas, yet with easy access to open water.

Tripto tips

• Access: open all year round with a car park. Excavation and restoration work continues in and around the fortress, so some sections may be fenced off.
• Time needed: 40–60 minutes to climb from Manghwamun to Yeongbojeong and loop around the walls.
• Best time: the fortress faces the western sea, so sunset is especially good. The old trees below Yeongbojeong make a shady place to rest.
• Nearby: Ocheon Harbour just below is one of Korea's leading producers of pen shells, so many people pair the fortress with a pen-shell meal at the port, best in spring.