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 Gochang County and Buan County in Jeollabuk (North Jeolla) Province, located on South Korea's southwest coast in the region formerly known as Jeolla or Cholla. The coast of Jeollabuk faces west on the Yellow Sea (usually called the West Sea in Korea). Gochang and Buan Counties are a mostly rural area between the cities of Mokpo to the south and Gunsan and Gimje to the north. Buan County includes the Byeonsan Peninsula and the resort island of Wido. 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). The lights in Gochang and Buan Counties are maintained by the Gunsan Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries. 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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Gochang County Lighthouses
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Buan County Lighthouses
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![]() Wido Light, Wido, September 2009 ex-Panoramio Creative Commons photo by M.C. Han |
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![]() Pajanggeum Hang West Breakwater Light, Wido, September 2009 ex-Panoramio Creative Commons photo by M.C. Han |
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![]() Jangeunseo Light, Wido Gunsan Oceans and Fisheries Administration photo |
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Gunsan | South: Mokpo Area
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Posted January 9, 2008. Checked and revised May 22, 2024. Lighthouses: 34. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.