Yeosu Seonso Shipyard Site

In Sijeon-dong, Yeosu, between apartment blocks, a stone-walled basin still fills with seawater. This was a shipyard from the Goryeo period onwards and is known as the place where Admiral Yi Sun-sin and General Na Dae-yong built turtle ships during the Imjin War. The Yeosu Seonso Site became a national Historic Site in 1995, and here you can see traces of the Joseon navy up close, from the dock where ships were hidden to the stone posts where they were tied up.

A shipyard invisible from the sea

Seonso lies at the very end of Gamak Bay, its northernmost point. The islands of Gadeokdo and Jangdo shield the mouth of the bay, and Mangmasan rises behind the site. From the open sea the bay looks like land, and even close up it is hard to tell whether you are looking at sea or a lake, which made it a good place to build and hide ships out of the enemy's sight. Yi Sun-sin built turtle ships here ahead of the Japanese invasion of 1592; in Yeosu, turtle ships are also said to have been built at the naval headquarters dock in Jungang-dong and at Bangdapjin in Dolsan.

The people behind the turtle ship

The turtle ship was an assault vessel built on the hull of the Joseon navy's main warship, the panokseon, with a covered deck shaped like a turtle's shell and studded with spikes so that enemies could not board. After Yi Sun-sin took command of the Jeolla Left Naval Command, he led its design and construction together with the officer Na Dae-yong, who was known for his shipbuilding skill and oversaw the practical work. What makes Seonso special is that this is where they actually built and launched their ships.

What remains

• Gulgang: a round basin enclosed by stone walls and fed by seawater, used for building and repairing ships and for mooring them safe from attack. It is the most striking feature of the site.
• Mooring posts: stone pillars to which ships were tied.
• Beoksu: three pairs of stone guardian figures placed around the site to mark it off-limits to ordinary people.
• Segeomjeong: a pavilion where swords and spears were sharpened, restored in 1986 together with a forge and an armoury.
• Other sites: tradition also places here the naval command post, barracks, a lookout for watching Japanese movements, a training ground for horses and sailors, and an archery and spear-throwing range.

The site today

Excavations finished in 2011 and site works in 2012, and the whole area is now neatly laid out with lawns and paths. It is surrounded by housing, so rather than grand scenery, come to look at the stone walls and water of the basin and picture a working shipyard of four centuries ago. On calm days the hills and sky are reflected in the basin.

Tripto tips

• Time needed: 30 minutes to an hour for a loop of the site.
• Opening: always open, free of charge, with a car park.
• Best time: there is little shade, so in summer go early in the morning or around sunset.
• Getting there: the site is in Sijeon-dong, not far from Yeosu City Hall, at the inner end of Gamak Bay. From Yeosu Expo Station or Yeosu Bus Terminal, take a taxi or city bus.
• Combine with: to follow Yi Sun-sin's trail, pair it with Jinnamgwan, the former headquarters of the Jeolla Left Naval Command in central Yeosu.