Lighthouses of South Korea: Yeosu

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; 대한민국, Daehan Minguk in Korean), commonly called South Korea, occupies the Korean peninsula south of the armistice line.

The name Korea, used internationally, is a Western version of Goryeo or Koryŏ (고려), the name of a kingdom that unified the country in the tenth century. From 1392 to 1897 the kingdom was known instead as Joseon or Chosŏn (조선). Today South Koreans usually call their country Hanguk (한국, literally "one country") and the official name of the Republic of Korea is Daehan Minguk (대한민국).

South Korea is divided into eight provinces and nine province-level cities. This page is one of three pages covering lighthouses of the municipal city of Yeosu, a major port in southeastern Jeollanam (South Jeolla) province. Yeosu is located in the central part of Korea's south coast. The city occupies the Yeosu peninsula and includes several hundred islands of all sizes, 49 of them inhabited. The population of the city proper is only about 275,000 but the port has developed rapidly as an alternative to Busan.

This page includes lighthouses of Yeosu City (the urbanized area) and the adjoining Sora and Hwayang Townships. . The Yeosu South page includes lighthouses of Dolsan Town, which occupies the island of Dolsando just to the south of the city and South Township, which occupies islands farther south. Yeosu also administers the islands of Samsan Township, located in the Korea Strait southwest of the Yeosu Peninsula; lighthouses of those islands are described on the Samsan Islands page.

Navigational aids in the ROK are regulated by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF). The lights on this page are maintained by the Yeosu Regional Oceans and Fisheries Administration.

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.

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

General Sources
World of Lighthouses - South Korea
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Online List of Lights - Korea - South Coast
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.


Odongdo Light, Yeosu, July 2021
Google Maps photo by Park Cheol-ok

Yeosu City Lighthouses

Gwangyang Harbor Lighthouses
Gwangyang (Kwangyang) Passage
1999. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 24 m (79 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and double gallery, painted with red and black horizontal bands. Access to the galleries is by an external stairway the spirals around the tower. No recent photo available. Jürgen Klinksiek contributed a photo taken in 2000 showing the earlier appearance of the lighthouse in all red. Google has a satellite view. Located in the entrance to the industrial harbor of Gwangyang, off the eastern end of the island of Myodo, about 20 km (13 mi) north of Yeosu. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. KR-2405; Admiralty M4310.82; NGA 17200.8.
Dunpyeongtan (Tunpyeongtan)
2005. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) octagonal concrete tower, painted black with one red horizontal band, mounted on a round concrete pier. Google has a very distant street view from shore and Bing has a satellite view. Located on a small island about 1200 m (3/4 mi) off the east coast of the Yeosu Peninsula, halfway between Gwangyang and Yeosu harbors. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. KR-2450; Admiralty M4310.63; NGA 17123.

Main Harbor Lighthouses
* Yeosu New Port West Breakwater
Around 2018. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); red light, pattern unknown. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) round red tower. Dave Shin has the 2023 photo seen at right, Giho Ong has a closeup 2020 photo, Hayul Hai has a distant street view from the East Beakwater, and Google has a satellite view. This is a new breakwater built about 2018. Located at the end of the west breakwater of the harbor. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. KR-2436.7; Admiralty M4310.4.
* Yeosu New Port North Breakwater (2)
2010 (station established 1992). Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); red flash every 4 s. 10 m (33 ft) round concrete tower, shaped like a torch, mounted on a concrete base. Entire lighthouse is yellow. Dave Shin has a 2023 photo, Dae Sung Choi has a 2022 photo showing the North and West Breakwater lighthouses, , and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was formerly painted red; Hayul Hai has a 2018 closeup photo, and Lightphotos/net has another photo. The decorative north and east breakwater lighthouses were built as part of the upgrades to the waterfront prior to the 2012 World's Fair in Yeosu. The original lighthouse was a plain red cylindrical tower. Located at the end of the north breakwater of the harbor, off the waterfront of the Expo 2012 world's fair site. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open; visitors can climb to an observation platform near the base of the tower. KR-2436; Admiralty M4310.3; NGA 17126.

New Port West Breakwater Light, Yeosu, October 2023
Google Maps photo by Dave Shin
* Yeosu New Port East Breakwater (2) (?)
2010. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); green flash every 4 s. Entire lighthouse is white. A 2024 photo is available, Kim Cheol Bong has a view from the harbor, Hayula black and white 2012 view from the harbor is available, Hai has a closeup street view, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the breakwater extending northward from Odongdo. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. KR-2453.5; Admiralty M4310.1 (ex-M4310.4); ex-NGA 17128.
*** Odongdo (Yeosu) (3)
2002 (station established 1913). Active; focal plane 61 m (200 ft); white flash every 10 s. 27 m (82 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern, gallery, and a large octagonal observation deck about 3/4 of the way up the tower. A square cylindrical secondary tower, connected by a bridge to the observation deck, has an elevator providing visitor access to the deck. Entire structure painted white. A 2-story building connected to the lighthouse was the public information center for the 2012 World's Fair in Yeosu. Park Cheol-ok's 2021 photo is at the top of this page, Park Min-hyuk has a 2020 photo, a 2008 photo and another closeup are available, Jinwoo Kim has a 2022 photo, Yeosu MOF posted a good photo, Wikimedia has a distant view from the sea, Chang Hyun-wook has a closeup street view, and Google has a satellite view. This modern lighthouse replaced a 10.5 m (34 ft) tower built in 1952 during the Korean War. The lantern and lens of that lighthouse are displayed outside the current lighthouse. We need information on the 1913 lighthouse, which was listed in early light lists as "Reisu Gulf" with a focal plane of 45.5 m (149 ft). Odongdo is an island about 500 m (0.4 mi) in diameter that partly shelters the harbor of Yeosu. The island is connected to the mainland by a broad breakwater and causeway about 800m (0.5 mi) long. Located on the highest point of the island, commanding a sweeping view of the bay and islands in the vicinity. Site open; observation deck open daily. ARLHS SKR-018; KR-2451; Admiralty M4310; NGA 17116.
Yangam (Yang-Am)
1986. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 17 m (56 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with double gallery, mounted on a round concrete pier. Lighthouse painted black with one broad red horizontal band. Google has a satellite view. Located on a shoal about 800 m (1/2 mi) east of the Odongdo lighthouse. Accessible only by boat, but there must be a good view from Odongdo. Site open, tower closed. KR-2452; Admiralty M4309.8; NGA 17120.
* Yeosu Old Port Hamel Breakwater (Hamel Lighthouse)
2005. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); red flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern, gallery, and four ribs. Lighthouse painted red. A 2022 photo is at right, Lucie Zidkova has a photo, a 2017 photo and a 2017 drone view are available, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse recognizes Hendrick Hamel, a Dutch sailor shipwrecked near Yeosu in 1653 with 35 crewmates; he lived in Korea for 13 years and later wrote a book about his adventures. Located at the end of a short breakwater on the north side of Yeosu harbor. Readily accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. KR-2462; Admiralty M4310.52; NGA 17135.
* Yeosu Gu Hang (Yeosu Old Port) (2)
2018 (station established 1981). Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); green flash every 4 s. 7 m (23 ft) round white fiberglass tower attachjed to a round 1-story equipment shelter. Peter Lee has a photo and Google has a distant satellite view. Located at the end of a short pier on the north side of Yeosu harbor. Site status unknown, but the light is easily seen from the quay. KR-2464; Admiralty M4310.54; NGA 17140.
Janggundo (Changgundo)
1986. Inactive since 2018. 10 m (33 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. Kim Won-dong has a night time photo, a view from the harbor is available, and Google has a distant and fuzzy satellite view. Located at the northwestern corner of Janggungdo, an island in the center of Yeosu's harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ex-KR-2465; ex-Admiralty M4310.57; NGA 17136.
Gukdong Hang Detached Breakwater East End
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); yellow flash every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) square concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is yellow. drone view (lighthouse at the extreme left edge) is available and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located at the east end of a breakwater at Gukdong Hang, the traditional western port of Yeosu. Accessible only by boat but easily seen from shore. KR-2482.6; Admiralty M4308.66.
Gukdong Hang Detached Breakwater West End
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 12 m (39 ft); red light, pattern unknown. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is red. Deokchan Yoon has a photo, a more distant view and a drone view (lighthouse on the left) are available, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located at the west end of a breakwater at Gukdong Hang, the traditional western port of Yeosu. Accessible only by boat but easily seen from shore. KR-2482.7; Admiralty M4308.67.

Hamel Light, Yeosu, December 2022
Google Maps photo by WS
Yado (2)
2009 (station established 1979). Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); red flash every 4 s. 10 m (33 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower, painted red. Seo Mi-kyung has a distant street view, a drone view is available (lighthouse on the right), and Google has a satellite view. Yado is a small island opposite Gukdong Hang, the traditional western port of Yeosu. Located on the north side of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. KR-2482; Admiralty M4308.72; NGA 17148.

Gawang Bay Lighthouses
Pungnakdo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. The light is barely visible left of center in a distant view and Google has a satellite view. Located at the west end of a small island about 800 m (1/2 mi) south of Gukdong Hang. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. KR-2477.1; Admiralty M4308.735.
Ammokdo (Ammogdo)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); white flash every 5 s. 7.5 m (25 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. The light is barely visible atop the island at the right edge in a very distant view and Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island at the entrance to Yeosu harbor from the southwest. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. KR-2477; Admiralty M4308.74; NGA 17152.
Mamuram
2005. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 13 m (43 ft) concrete tower, painted black with one red horizontal band. A small photo is available and Bing has a fuzzy satellite view. Located on a reef on the north side of the entrance to Yeosu harbor from the southwest. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. KR-2474.9; Admiralty M4308.75; NGA 17211.
Hamji
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) round concrete tower painted black with a red horizontal band. Google has a fuzzy satellite view and a distant 2020 street view. A Korean Notice to Mariners in November 2020 lists the light as green, and it is indeed green in the August 2020 street view, but another Notice to Mariners in July 2021 announced the change to black and red. Located off a small boat harbor in the Songjeon neighborhhod in northwestern Yeosu. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. KR-2474.13; Admiralty M4308.76.
Yeocho (2)
Date unknown (station established 1967). Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 13 m (43 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, painted black with a red horizontal band and mounted on a round concrete pier. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a reef about 5 km (3 mi) southwest of Yeosu harbor's west entrance and a similar distance northwest of Dolsando. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. KR-2475; Admiralty M4308.6; NGA 17212.

Sora Township Lighthouses

Yeoja Bay Lighthouses
Yeoja Bay occupies a roughly circular basin on the west side of Yeosu and east of the base of the Goheung Peninsula.

Dulyeongyeo
1991. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 13 m (43 ft) round concrete tower, painted black with one red horizontal band. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. The lights in this group appear to be within the limits of Sora Township, located on the east shore of Yeoja Bay and west of Yeosu City. Located on an isolated rock in the eastern part of Yeoja Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. KR-2538; Admiralty M4305.5; NGA 17218.
Dongsinyeo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 11 m (36 ft) round concrete tower, painted black with one red horizontal band. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on an isolated rock in the northeastern part of Yeoja Bay about 2 km (1.25 mi) east of Dulyeongyeo light. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. KR-2538.7; Admiralty M4305.53.
Noryangyeo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); quick-flashing white light. 11 m (36 ft) round concrete tower, upper half painted black and lower half yellow. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a reef off Sagok Village in Sora Township, on the east side of Yeoja Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. KR-2474.12; Admiralty M4305.54.

Hwayang Township Lighthouses

Yeoja Bay Lighthouses
Soyeojado (Soyoja-do)
2008. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower flared at the top. The light is just barely visible on the islet in the center of Younggil Kim's view from shore and Google has a satellite view. Located on an isolated islet south of Soyeojado, a small island in the center of Yeoja Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. KR-2538.2; Admiralty M4305.45; NGA 17218.1.
Sambugyeo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 13 m (43 ft); red light, pattern unknown. Approx. 13 m (43 ft) red concrete tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located off the northwestern end of Daeyeojado, the larger of the two inhabited islands in the center of Yeoja Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty M4305.445.

Nangdo Area Lighthouses
Nangdo is an island about 4 km (2.5 mi) long and 2 km (1.25 mi) wide. Together with associated smaller islands, it lies southwest of the Godolsan Peninsula of Yeosu and east of the Goheung Peninsula, stretching across the mouth of Yeoja Bay. A series of bridges connect the islands to both the Godolsan and Goheung Peninsulas.

Chudo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 12 m (39 ft); six quick white flashes followed by one long white flash every 15 s. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, upper half painted yellow and lower half black, mounted on a round stone base. Han Gyeong-ok has a view, Noh Hongmoon has a very distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a reef off the south end of Nangdo. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. KR-2531.8; Admiralty M4305.1.
Nangdo (Nang Do) (2?)
1985. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); white flash every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) octagonal white concrete tower mounted an an octagonal base. A photo is at right and Google has street view, a satellite view and a very distant drone view. NGA describes the lighthouse as square. Located on a small island just off the southern tip of Nangdo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. KR-2537; Admiralty M4305; NGA 17220.
* Nangdo Hang
2003. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); red flash every 4 s. 13 m (43 ft) octagonal concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is red. Jung Woosung has a closeup photo and a second photo, Melani Park has a 2024 view along the pier, the light is at the far left of a distant view and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the south (main) breakwater of Nangdo harbor, at the southwestern corner of the island. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. KR-2537.5; Admiralty M4305.2; NGA 17221.

Nangdo Light, Nangdo, August 2022
Google Maps street view by 시몰SimAll
Jobal Sudo
2003. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); six quick white flashes and one long white flash every 15 s. 14 m (46 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, upper half painted yellow and lower half black. Shim Shim Jae-ok has the photo at right, Jin-Yeo Song has a distant street view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a reef in the narrow passage between Jeokgeumdo and the northwestern tip of Nangdo, a short distance east of the bridge connecting Nangdo to Jeokgeumdo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. KR-2537.2; Admiralty M4305.36; NGA 17219.1.
Odong (Odo, Chokkum-do)
2002. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 6 s. 11 m (36 ft) octagonal white concrete tower with gallery. Seunghee Kim has a very distant view, Google has a satellite view, and the light is barely visible at the center of Google's drone view. Located on an islet between Jeokgeumdo and Dunbyeongdo, two smaller islands north of Nangdo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. KR-2538.1; Admiralty M4305.4; NGA 17219.
Hagwado Sudo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); six quick white flashes and one long white flash every 15 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, upper half painted yellow and lower half black. This light is in the right background of Shim Shim Jae-ok's photo of Jobal Sudo and Google has a satellite view. Located on a reef off the south side of Dongbyeongdo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. KR-2537.26; Admiralty M4305.38; NGA 17219.2.
Samcho
2001. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 13 m (43 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower mounted an a round concrete pier. Lighthouse painted black with a red horizontal band. A drone view is available and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a reef in the passage between the south end of the Godolsan Peninsula and the island of Jobaldo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. KR-2474.7; Admiralty M4305.55.

Jobal Sudo Light, Nangdo, April 2020
Google Maps photo by
Shim Shim Jae-ok

Baegyado Area Lighthouses
Baegyado is an island about 1.6 km (1 mi) in diameter located just off the southern tip of the Godolsan Peninsula; a bridge connects it to the mainland.

Sanghwado
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 11 m (36 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 11 m (36 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower painted black with one red horizontal band. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a reef north of Sanghwado, an island midway between Nangdo and Bargwado. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. KR-2473.6; Admiralty M4305.58.
Janggudo (Changgudo, Chilyeo)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); red flash every 4 s. 15 m (49 ft) round concrete tower with gallery. Entire lighthouse is red. A drone view is available and Google has a satellite view and a very distant street view. Located in narrow passage between two islands about 5 km (3 mi) west of the Baegyado lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. KR-2474.5; Admiralty M4305.6; NGA 17222.
#Baegyado (Paegyado, Paekyado) (1)
1928. Inactive since 2006. 14 m (46 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. Sadly, this historic lighthouse was demolished to make way for the new one. Located on the eastern end of the island. Site status unknown. ARLHS SKR-022.
Baegyado (Paegyado, Paekyado) (2)
2006 (station established 1928). Active; focal plane 58 m (190 ft); white flash every 20 s. 24 m (79 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Several 1-story keeper's houses and other light station buildings. All structures painted white. Doo-Taek Lim's 2021 photo is at right, Jt. Kim has a 2016 photo, Kang Hyun Gu has a 2017 photo, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view of the station. The new lighthouse was announced in a Notice to Mariners dated 1 December 2006. Located at the southern tip of the island. Accessible by road. Site status unknown. KR-2474; Admiralty M4306; NGA 17216.

Gaedo Area Lighthouses
Gaedo is an island about 8 km (5 mi) long and 2 km (1.25 mi) wide located south of Baegyado.

Goseo (Koso)
1985. Active; focal plane 34 m (112 ft); white flash every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) octagonal white concrete tower with gallery. Seongha Kim has a 2020 aerial photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island about 10 km (6 mi) northwest of Yeondo. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. KR-2473.1; Admiralty M4307; NGA 17224.
Horido
1995. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); quick-flashing white light. 9 m (30 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, mounted on a round concrete pier. Upper half of the lighthouse painted black, lower half yellow. Yeosu MOF posted a photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on a rock in the channel about 8 km (5 mi) southwest of Dolsando. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M4306.5; NGA 17215.

Horido Light, Gaedo, July 2021
Google Maps photo by Doo-Taek Lim

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Namhae | Southeast: Yeosu South | West: Goheung Area

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Posted January 9, 2008. Checked and revised May 29, 2025. Lighthouses: 36. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.