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 Town of Dolsan, which occupies the island of Dolsando just to the south. The Yeosu South page includes lighthouses of South Township and Hwayang Township, which occupy islands farther south. Yeosu also administers the islands of Samsan Township, located in the Korea Strait southwest of the Yeosu Peninsula. Lighthouses of these 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
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Yeosu City Lighthouses
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Gwangyang Passage Light, Yeosu, January 2000 photo copyright Jürgen Klinksiek; used by permission |
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Dolsan Town Lighthouses
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Jakgeum Hang Light, Dolsan Yeosu Port Office photo |
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: East: Namhae | South: Yeosu South | West: Goheung Area
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Posted January 9, 2008. Checked and revised February 12, 2024. Lighthouses: 27. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.