For most of its history Korea was an independent kingdom, or at least an autonomous kingdom under Chinese influence. This came to an end in 1910 when Japan annexed all of Korea. At the end of World War II in 1945 the 38° parallel was established as the dividing line between U.S. and Soviet zones of occupation, and in 1948 separate civil administrations were established in the two halves of the country. The Korean War (1950-53) ended in a draw with the armistice line falling close to the prewar 38° line. The Republic of Korea (ROK), commonly called South Korea (Daehan Minguk in Korean), occupies the Korean peninsula south of the armistice line. South Korea is divided into nine provinces and eight province-level cities; the provinces are subdivided into counties and cities. This page covers lighthouses of South Korea's northwest coast in the metropolitan (province-level) city of Incheon (Inchon), including the city proper, Ganghwa County, and the western islands of Ongjin County. This coast faces west on the Yellow Sea (or the West Sea, as it is called in Korea). There is a separate page for the southern islands of Ongjin County. In 2000 South Korea adopted a Revised Romanization System to replace systems formerly used in the West. In the Revised System, the word for a lighthouse is deungdae (등대); dan (formerly tan) is a cape, seom (som) or do (to) is an island, am or amseog is a rock, man is a bay, and hang is a harbor. Some place names may be more familiar to Westerners in the spellings of older systems. Navigational aids in the ROK are regulated by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF). In this area the lights are maintained by the Incheon Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries. MOF also operates the major coastal lights, but management of harbor lighthouses is in the hands of local port authorities. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. KR numbers, where available, are from the Korean light list. Admiralty numbers are from volume M of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA
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Incheon City Lighthouses
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![]() Haerido Light, Incheon, March 2012 ex-Panoramio photo copyright plumgarden; used by permission |
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![]() Cruise Terminal Light, Incheon, March 2012 Google Maps photo by 미주부동산 |
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![]() East Bteakwater Light, Incheon, September 2021 Google Maps photo by Yoo Seung-woo |
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Ganghwa County Lighthouses
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![]() Gajinyeo Light, Ganghwado, October 2014 ex-Panoramio photo copyright Kim Cheol Bong; used by permission |
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Western Ongjin County Lighthouses
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Western North Korea | South: Dangjin and Pyeongtaek | Southwest: South Ongjin Islands
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Posted February 4, 2008. Checked and revised July 17, 2024. Lighthouses: 47. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.