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 covers lighthouses of Namhae County in southwestern Gyeongsangnam (South Gyeongsang) province on South Korea's south coast. Namhae County includes the major islands of Namhae and Changseon and many smaller islands just offshore from the mainland city of Sacheon. Navigational aids in the ROK are regulated by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF). Lights of Namhae County are maintained by the Yeosu Regional Maritime Affairs and Port Office in neighboring Jeollanam (South Jeolla) province. 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. Special thanks to Kim Cheol Bong for permission to post copies of his photos. 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 List numbers are from Publication 112.
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![]() Eunjeom Hang Breakwater Lights, Namhaedo, February 2012 ex-Panoramio photo copyright Kim Cheol Bong; used by permission |
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![]() Sejondo Light, Korea Strait, August 2010 ex-Panoramio photo copyright 알렉스; permission requested |
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![]() Daedo Light, 2007 ex-Yeosu Maritime Affairs and Port Office photo |
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![]() Umoseo Light, undated ex-Yeosu Maritime Affairs and Port Office photo |
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Sacheon | East: Goseong Bay | West: Yeosu
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Posted December 4, 2007. Checked and revised February 3, 2024. Lighthouses: 36. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.