Gwangseongbo Fortress

On the east coast of Ganghwado, this fortress guarded the Ganghwa Strait, the narrow channel between Gimpo and the island. During the 1871 United States expedition to Korea (Sinmiyangyo) it saw the fiercest fighting between American and Joseon troops: General Eo Jae-yeon and his men fought to the end with outdated weapons, and most of them died. Today a gate, gun platforms and the graves of unnamed soldiers stand quietly among the pines.

From anti-Mongol rampart to Joseon fortress

The Ganghwa Outer Wall runs along this shore, built when the Goryeo court moved to Ganghwado to resist the Mongols between 1233 and 1270. The wall was repaired under King Gwanghaegun, and under King Hyojong a military post (bo) was first set up here; sources differ on the year, 1656 or 1658. Under King Sukjong it gained lookout and gun posts such as Gwangseong, Odu, Hwado and Yongdu dondae, and in 1745 the walls were rebuilt in stone and the Anhaeru gate was added. It was designated a national Historic Site in 1971.

1871: the hardest fight

In June 1871 the US Asiatic Squadron, sent to force Korea to open trade, sailed up the Ganghwa Strait. 546 sailors and 105 Marines landed at Chojijin in the south, took Deokjinjin and then pushed on to Gwangseongbo. The Joseon defenders under General Eo Jae-yeon were badly outgunned but would not retreat; after hand-to-hand fighting, Eo, his brother Eo Jae-sun and most of their men were killed. According to American figures, 243 Koreans died in the campaign, against three Americans.

The Americans carried off General Eo's command flag, the Sujagi. Kept for decades at the US Naval Academy Museum, it returned to Korea on long-term loan in 2007.

What to see

• Anhaeru Gate: the fortress gate, a pavilion set on an arched stone gateway, added when the walls were rebuilt in stone in 1745.
• Gun posts and cannons: inside the round stone-walled dondae stand replica Joseon cannons.
• Sinmi Sunuichong: the shared graves of soldiers whose names are unknown, seven mounds in a row.
• Ssangchung Monument: a stele honouring the loyalty of the brothers Eo Jae-yeon and Eo Jae-sun.
• Sondolmok and Yongdu Dondae: these posts overlook Sondolmok, the stretch of the strait with the strongest current. Yongdu Dondae sits on a rock that juts into the water like a dragon's head, with views up and down the channel. Legend says a Goryeo king fleeing by boat suspected his boatman Sondol of treachery and had him killed, and the narrows have carried his name ever since.

A chain of coastal forts

Gwangseongbo is one of the twelve garrisons (jin and bo) of Ganghwa, the dense chain of coastal defences Joseon built on the island after the Manchu invasion of 1636. The shore from Chojijin in the south via Deokjinjin to Gwangseongbo follows the route of the American attack in 1871, so visiting the three in order traces the course of the battle. Course 2 of the Ganghwa Nadeul-gil trail, the "Hoguk Dondae-gil", links these coastal forts and is a good way to see them on foot.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00), open every day.
• Admission: adults KRW 1,500, children, teenagers and soldiers KRW 1,100; parking is free.
• Time needed: about 1 hour from Anhaeru to Yongdu Dondae. Combined with Chojijin and Deokjinjin along the coast, allow 2–3 hours.
• Getting there: county buses run from Ganghwa Bus Terminal but are infrequent. The forts line the coastal road, so a car or bicycle is most convenient.
• Best time: the pine-shaded paths are pleasant even in summer, and the view over the strait from Yongdu Dondae is at its best around sunset.
• Memorial day: every year at 11:00 on the 24th day of the fourth lunar month, the Gwangseongje ceremony honours the fallen.