Cheonghaejin, Military garrison in Wando County, South Korea
Cheonghaejin is a historic garrison on Chang-do Island, a small island accessible from Wando via a wooden bridge, dating to the Silla Dynasty period. The site preserves stone walls, wooden structures, and defensive gates that outline the original layout of what was once a large military settlement.
Admiral Jang Bogo established this base in 828 to protect sea trade routes from pirates operating in the waters between Korea, China, and Japan. The base was later dismantled by order of the Silla court, following the assassination of Jang Bogo in 846.
The name Cheonghaejin roughly means "sea gate garrison," a reference to its former role in controlling what passed through these waters. Visitors today can walk along the old stone walls and gates, which give a clear sense of how the site was once organized as a working military post.
The island is reached by a short wooden bridge from Wando, and a walk around the full site takes roughly an hour. The nearby Chang Bogo Memorial Center offers background on the site and is worth visiting alongside the ruins.
At low tide, hundreds of old wooden posts appear along the southern shore of the island, some reaching up to 80 centimeters across. These posts are thought to have formed part of the coastal defenses and are one of the few surviving examples of this building technique in Korea.
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