Gyodong Eupseong Walled Town

On Gyodongdo, northwest of Ganghwa, Gyodong Eupseong once enclosed the headquarters of the Samdo Sugun Tongeoyeong, the naval command for the three provinces of Gyeonggi, Hwanghae and Chungcheong. Today only a small walled site 430 m round survives, with a single arched stone gate in its original form, yet the arch stones are carved with the words "Samdo Tongmun", "gate linking the three provinces", a reminder of how important this island was on the sea lanes. In 2018 the collapsed gate pavilion was rebuilt.

A naval fortress built after the Manchu invasion

After the first Manchu invasion of 1627, the Joseon court moved to strengthen the defence of Ganghwa, and in 1629 it transferred the Gyeonggi naval command from Hwaryang in Namyang to Gyodong. The walls appear to date from that move. Gyodong was raised in rank, and the Gyeonggi naval commander also served as its magistrate. In 1633 the command was expanded into the Samdo Sugun Tongeoyeong, with Gyodong Eupseong as its headquarters.

The fortress sits at the end of a ridge running down from Hwagaesan and forms a long oval from northwest to southeast. It measures 430 m around, about 6 m high, with an area of some 5,958 m², small for a Korean walled town. Each of its three gates, Tongsamnu (east), Yuryangnu (south) and Gongbungnu (north), had a protective outer wall, and inside stood a guesthouse, government offices, storehouses and pavilions such as Anhaeru.

The south gate, lost and rebuilt

The walls and parapets were rebuilt in 1753, and the south gate in 1884. Nobody knows when the east and north gates disappeared. A violent storm in 1921 brought down the south gate's pavilion, leaving only the arch, and the gate and nearby walls were repaired in 1975. In 2018 the pavilion was restored on the gate base, three bays wide and two deep.

A trial excavation in 2019 found the original wall about 2 m below ground east of the south gate: four courses of large natural stones, including the footing. No trace was found of the outer wall thought to have stood in front of the gate.

What to see

• The south gate arch: 3.44 m wide and 3.85 m high. Look for the inscriptions 三道通門, 三道大 and 南樓 on the arch stones, a record of the naval command's standing.
• Restored Yuryangnu: the gate pavilion rebuilt in 2018, a painted wooden structure sitting on the arch with the island's wide fields spreading around it.
• Walls and earthworks: low stone walls 1–2 m high run either side of the south gate, and grassy earthen traces of the wall survive near the north gate.
• Anhaeru pillars: two stone pillars from Anhaeru, a pavilion that once stood inside the walls.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: bus 18 from Ganghwa Bus Terminal crosses Gyodong Bridge onto the island. By car, cross the bridge and head for Eupnae-ri. The address is 577 Eupnae-ri, Gyodong-myeon, Ganghwa-gun.
• ID: Gyodongdo is a border island inside the Civilian Control Zone. Bring ID (a passport for foreign visitors).
• Time needed: about 30 minutes for the gate and the site. It is an open-air site, so simply stroll around it.
• Combine with: nearby Gyodong Hyanggyo, Daeryong Market, built by refugees from the North, and Hwagae Garden on Hwagaesan make a half-day on the island.
• Photography: do not photograph coastal surveillance posts or military facilities.