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. Jeju (formerly spelled Cheju) is an island province of South Korea located off the southwestern end of the Korean Peninsula. Dominated by the dormant volcano Hallasan, Korea's tallest mountain at 1947 m (6388 ft), Jeju is roughly 75 km (45 mi) long and 25 km (15 mi) wide. More than half a million people live on the island. The province is divided administratively into two cities, Jeju on the north side and Seogwipo on the south side. This page has the lighthouses of Seogwipo; those of Jeju City are on a separate page. The second largest city of Jeju Island and southernmost city of Korea, Seogwipo is a city of about 150,000 residents. Jeju is readily accessible by air or by ferry from Busan, Tongyeong, Wando, Mokpo, or Incheon. Navigational aids in the ROK are regulated by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF). The lights on this page are maintained by the Jeju Maritime Management Division, a branch of the Busan 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 List numbers are from Publication 112.
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![]() North Breakwater East Head Light, Seongsanpo, October 2010 (West Head Light at the right, West Breakwater Light in the center distance) ex-Panoramio photo copyright 가흔파파 (Gaheunpapa); permission requested |
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining page: North: Jeju City
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted December 10, 2007. Checked and revised March 28, 2024. Lighthouses: 36. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.