Lighthouses of South Korea: North Ongjin Islands

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 islands lying west of Incheon off South Korea's northwest coast, including the three townships of Bukdo, Yeonpyeong, and Daecheong in Ongjin County. The county is administered as part of Incheon City. 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

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Korea - Yellow Sea
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Google Maps
Satellite view of the islands.


Socheongdo Light, Socheongdo, September 2021
Google Maps photo by baeksun

Bukdo Township Lighthouses
The Bukdo (North) Islands are a small group lying off the northwest side of Yongjeongdo and south of Ganghwado.

Sindo Ri
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); green flash every 5 s. 15 m (49 ft) round green concrete tower on a round concrete pier. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Locared off the northeast corenr of Sindo marking the entrance to the passage between that island and Yongjeongdo. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. KR-3629; Admiralty M4146.59.
Soeyeo (Seoyeo, Soiyo)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 14 m (46 ft) round tower, painted black with one red horizontal band. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a reef about 20 km (13 mi) southwest of Ganghwado. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. KR-3710; Admiralty M4146.5; NGA 18077.
Sindo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 49 m (161 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 6 m (20 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. This Sindo is a tiny island in the Yellow Sea about 45 km (28 mi) west of Incheon. Located on the highest point of the island. Site and tower closed. KR-3709; Admiralty M4146; NGA 18076.
Goseoki
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 12 m (39 ft); nine quick white flashes followed by one long white flash every 15 s. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) post carrying a large gallery mounted on a concrete base. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. The light guides vessels approaching the north side of Yongjeongdo. Located on a reef at the southwestern end of the Bukdo Islands. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. KR-3656.3; Admiralty M4147.6.

The remaining islands lie well to the west of Incheon and closer to the coast of North Korea than to the rest of South Korea. They were held by Allied forces during the Korean War and remained under South Korean control following the armistice agreement. The Yeonpyeong islands lie off the south coast of North Korea's Hwanghae province. The Daecheong and Baengnyeong islands lie farther west, off the southwestern tip of North Korea. In recent years North Korea has asserted a claim over the waters surrounding these islands, and this has led to several military clashes.

Yeonpyeong Township Lighthouses
Yeonpyeong (Yonpang) North Breakwater East Head
2012. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); red flash every 6 s. 14 m (46 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse is red. Doojin Choi's 2024 photo is at right, Shin-ha Shin has a photo, Lee Jong-sik has a 2022 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Yeonpyeong is a triangular island about 4 km (2.5 mi) in diameter lying north of Soyeonpyeong. Located on an east spur extending the north breakwater of Yeonpyeong. Possibly accessible by walking the pier. Site status unknown. KR-3724.6; Admiralty M4137.3.
Yeonpyeong (Yonpang) North Breakwater Southwest Head
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); red flash every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) octagonal red concrete tower. A 2011 photo is available (halfway down the page), this light is on the left in Lee Jong-sik's 2022 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the east (main) breakwater of Yeonpyeong. Possibly accessible by walking the pier. Site status unknown. KR-3723; Admiralty M4137.4; NGA 18088.
Yeonpyeong (Yonpang) South Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); green flash every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. Lee Jong-sik has a 2022 photo, a closeup (halfway down the page) is available and Google has a satellite view. Located on the south breakwater of the port on the southeast side of the island. Site and tower closed. Admiralty M4137.2; NGA 18087.
* Soyeonpyeong (Soyonpyong)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 39 m (128 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 6 m (20 ft) round white concrete tower. Kim Baek Seon has a closeup photo and Google has a satellite view. Soyeonpyeong is an island about 1.2 km (3/4 mi) in diameter, located in the Yellow Sea about 40 km (25 mi) south of Haeju and 5 km (3 mi) southeast of Yeonpyeong. The islands are accessible by ferry from Incheon. Located on the southeastern point of the island. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M4145; NGA 18080.
Nounseo (Nounso, Noleunyeo)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 16 m (52 ft) round stone or concrete tower, painted black with one red horizontal band. No photo available and the islet is not seen in Google's satellite view. Located on a shoal about 2 km (1.25 mi) south of the Soyeonpyong lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. KR-3721; Admiralty M4145.5; NGA 18083.
* Yeonpyeongdo
1960. Reactivated (inactive 1973-2019); focal plane 102 m (335 ft); white flash every 15 s. 9 m (30 ft) 2-stage square concrete tower rising from a 1-story concrete equipment building. Entire lighthouse is white. Jong-sik Lee's 2022 photo is at right, a 2023 closeup, another photo and another closeup (3/4 the way down the page) are available, and Google has a satellite view. The light was extinguished in 1973 to prevent North Korean spies from reaching the island over the water. In November 2018 MOF announced it would be repairing and relighting the light since improving relations with the north were allowing fishermen to return to the area. The relighting was accomplished in June 2019. Located in a park on the south point of the island. Site open, tower closed. KR-3721.1; Admiralty M4137.


North Breakwater East Head Light, Yeonpyeong, April 2024
Google Maps photo by Doojin Choi


Yeonpyeongdo Light, Yeonpyeong, May 2022
Google Maps photo by Jong-sik Lee


Daecheong Township Lighthouses
Located just off the southwestern corner of North Korea, Daecheong Township includes three islands, Socheongdo in the south, Daecheongdo in the center, and Baengnyeongdo in the north.

***
Socheongdo (Sochungdo, Sochong Do) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1908). Active; focal plane 83 m (272 ft); four white flashes every 40 s. 18 m (59 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 2-story staff building and visitor center. Lighthouse painted white. Fog siren (one blast every 45 s). A 2021 photo is at the top of this page, Oh Jun-ik has a photo, and Google has a satellite view of the station. The original lighthouse was a 10 m (33 ft) round concrete tower. The lighthouse is described as housing a "marine culture hall." Socheongdo is a narrow island about 5 km (3 mi) long lying in the Yellow Sea at the extreme western point of South Korean sovereignty, about 30 km (20 mi) southwest of the North Korean mainland. The island is accessible by ferry from Incheon and tours are available. Located at the southwestern end of the island. Site and visitor center open, tower status unknown. . ARLHS SKR-047; KR-3725; Admiralty M4136; NGA 18104.
Seonjinpo Hang North Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 13 m (43 ft); red light, pattern unknown. Approx. 9 m (30 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is red. Dongsik Han has a 2021 photo, Yun Seok-yeong has a distant street view from the south breakwater and Google has a satellite view. Located on the north breakwater of Seonjinpo, the ferry port of Daecheongdo. May be accessible by walking the pier. Site status unknown. Admiralty M4135.9.
* Seonjinpo Hang South Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 13 m (43 ft); green light, pattern unknown. Approx. 9 m (30 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is white. Jeong Soon-gyu has a distant 2020 view, Yun Seok-yeong has a closeup street view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the south breakwater of Seonjinpo. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M4135.91.
Yonggipo Hang Outer Breakwater South End
2012. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); red flash every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is red. A photo of both breakwater lighthouses is available and Google has a satellite view. Located on the detached outer breakwater of Yonggipo, the ferry port of Baengnyeongdo. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed, but there's a good view from ferries arriving at the island. KR-3746; Admiralty M4135.8; NGA 18103.
Yonggipo Hang Inner Breakwater
2012. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); green flash every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is white. A photo and a photo of both breakwater lighthouses are available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the south breakwater of Yonggipo. Site and tower closed, but there's a good view from ferries arriving at the island. KR-3747; Admiralty M4135.85; NGA 18103.1.
* Yonggipo Hang
Date unknown. Inactive. Approx. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower. Sanghwan Jeon has the 2022 photo seen at right, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located atop a promontory on the south side of Yonggipo harbor. Site open, and the tower appears to be open as well. ex-Admiralty F4134.

Yonggipo Hang Light, Socheongdo, April 2022
Google Maps photo by Sanghwan Jeon

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Western North Korea | East: Incheon Area | South: South Ongjin Islands

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Posted February 4, 2008. Checked and revised October 24, 2025. Lighthouses: 16. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.