Suncheon Waeseong (Japanese Castle)

About 10 km southeast of central Suncheon, on a low hill above Gwangyang Bay, stands a stone wall of an unfamiliar shape. This is a waeseong, a castle built by Japanese troops in 1597 during the second invasion of Korea, and the final act of the seven-year Imjin War began here. It is the only Japanese castle left in South Jeolla, and a rare chance to see Japanese fortification methods that look nothing like Korean ones.

A fortress backed by the sea

After being checked at Jiksan in 1597, the Japanese army withdrew to the south coast and fortified key points. Suncheon Waeseong was built over about three months from the ninth month of that year, and Konishi Yukinaga held it with some 13,700 men. Accounts differ on who directed the building: some name Ukita Hideie and Tōdō Takatora, others Konishi himself.

The main castle faces the sea, with three outer rings on the landward side. A wide moat filled with seawater turned the main castle into an island, crossed by a bridge that was used only by day. That bridge gave the castle the name Koreans and Chinese used for it: Waegyoseong, "the bridge castle".

Stage of the last battle

In 1598 Joseon and Ming forces attacked the castle twice, by land and by sea. When Konishi tried to withdraw after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death, the allied fleet under Admiral Yi Sun-sin blocked his escape, and the standoff led to the Battle of Noryang that winter. Yi Sun-sin was killed in that battle.

After the war, the Suncheon magistrate Yi Su-gwang renamed the hill Manghaedae ("sea-viewing terrace") because he disliked the old name, and around 1697 villagers built Chungmusa shrine nearby to honour Yi Sun-sin.

What to see

• Keep platform: the stone base on which the castle keep stood, about 18 × 14 m and roughly 6 m high. A Ming war artist's scroll shows a five-storey tower here, but only the base remains.
• Angled walls: the walls run straight, then turn sharply so defenders could shoot along them, and the gates force you through two right-angle turns. The sloping stone faces are unmistakably Japanese.
• Views: from the keep platform you look over Gwangyang Bay and the Yulchon industrial area towards the sea off Namhae. It is also a known spot for sunrise.

Tripto tips

• Time needed: a loop along the walls takes 60–90 minutes. Add Chungmusa and the Jeongyu War history learning centre and you have half a day.
• Getting there: a taxi or car from Suncheon Station or Suncheon bus terminal is easiest. Yeosu Airport is also close.
• Best time: March–May and October–December, when the grass is low and the wall structure is easiest to read. On 1 January people come before dawn for the first sunrise.
• Note: there is little shade and the ground is uneven, so wear proper shoes. Guided walks with heritage interpreters are sometimes offered.
• Combine with: Suncheon Bay Wetland and Suncheon Bay National Garden are 20–30 minutes away by car.