Summary

Introduce

As a way of preserving the Admiralty which was the headquarters of the Three-province Naval Forces in the late Choson Dynasty, the government designated the entire area of Munhwa-dong, Taepyong-dong, and Tongyeong City as a historical site. In the center of the former site of the Admiralty is the restored Sebyeonggwan which served as a guesthouse and 'hotel' for the members and visitors of the naval forces. The present Sebyeonggwan precinct sits at 62 Munhwa-dong, Tongyeong City, but the former structure covered a vast area of 29 lots totaling to 41,022 sq m where a number of school buildings and government offices now stand.

Tongyeong Elementary School : 13,199 sq m (9 lots)
Chungryol Girls' Commercial High School
and Chungryol Girls' Middle School : 9,846 sq m (5 lots)
Tongyeong branches of the Changwon District
Court and the Changwon Prosecutor's Office : 5,745 sq m
Tongyeong Tax Office : 1,782 sq m

Plans of transferring government buildings and schools to other locations are under way as Tongyeong City intends to restore various historical buildings on their original sites. For instance, the local government intends to rebuild the Unju-dang, Kyongmu-dang, Internal Chamber, and Military Warehouse at the present site of the Tongyeong branches of the Changwon District Court and the Changwon Prosecutor's Office. The Tongyeong Elementary School may have to relocate to give way to the Baikhwa-dang and its 12 chambers. Meanwhile, the Middle Base and its Internal Chamber may be re-erected at the present site of the Tongyeong Tax Office. All of these plans are geared towards reviving the grand bearing of the South Sea's official defense center, that is the Admiralty, that had command of the three provinces of Gyeongsang-do, Jeolla-do, and Chungcheong-do for 300 years in the late Choson Dynasty. The term 'Admiralty' is synonymous to the headquarters of the Three-Province Naval Forces Admiralty where the Commander was based. In the 25th year of reign of King Sonjo, when the land forces lost battle after battle in the Imjin War with Japan, Commander Yi Sun Shin of the Jeolla Left Naval Forces and his fleet brought honor to the King by winning one battle after another. In fact, the Commander's victory against the Japanese forces' so-called [Land Sea Co-advance Operation] saved the nation from catastrophe. As a consequence, King Sonjo conferred on Admiral Lee the title [Commander of the Three- Province Naval Forces], a new appellation that was first given to the brave Admiral. Immediately after his appointment, Admiral Yi established the first admiralty headquarters on Hansando and prepared for war. Unfortunately, the camp on Hansando was ruined during the Chongryu War. Since then, the Admiralty headquarters had to be moved here and there as the war situation dictated. Even after the war, the Admiralty kept on being moved to several places, such as Oa-po in Kojedo and Chunwon-po in Kosong-hyon, until the 6th Admiralty Commander Lee Kyongjun moved the Admiralty to Duryong-po on September 9, 1604, the 37th year of reign of King Sonjo. This royal sanction lent a bright highlight to the history of Tongyeong. After the construction of the Sebyeonggwan guest-house at the southern foot of the Yohwang Mountain on July 14, 1605, and as the official chambers of the Admiralty were built one by one, Tongyeong started planning the construction of a military city, a unique concept in the Choson Dynasty. In 1678, the 4th year of reign of King Sukjong, the 57th Admiralty Commander Yun Chyunroe built a castle-like structure called Tyeongsan Fortress close to the Tongjeyeong entrance, then called Yeongmun. With an approximate height of 4.6 m and a circumference of 3.6 km, the Fortress wound along the mountain ridge, towering with magnificence with 707 battlements atop its walls. Improvements kept on being made so that by the mid-19th century, the Tongyeong Fortress stood majestic with its four gates, two arches, 3 watchtowers, and about 100 chambers including the Sebyeonggwan. However, during the Japanese occupation, the stately fortress and chambers were all torn down. What remains today is only a small portion of the ruins of the Tongyeong Fortress and Sebyeonggwan that sadly reminds us of the glory of the by-gone days. If the Admiralty is restored as planned, it will be a [sacred commemorative place of national defense] and [a celebrated tourist attraction] that will make the citizens of Tongyeong even prouder.

Appointed No. : Historical Site No. 402
Appointed Date : Feb. 20, 1998