The Myeongnyang Strait (also known as Uldolmok Strait; meaning Screaming Strait), just off the southwest corner of

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, separates

Jindo Island Jindo Island is the third largest island in South Korea. Together with a group of much smaller islands, it forms Jindo County. It is located in South Jeolla province, just off the southwest corner of the Korean peninsula. The island is separated ...

from the mainland. It also separates the administrative district of

Haenam County Haenam (''Haenam-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. The capital of Haenam-gun is Haenam-eup (Haenam town). The economy of the county is based mainly on agriculture, with rice and radish being the two most common crops. Hist ...

(on the mainland) from

Jindo County Jindo County (''Jindo-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It consists of the island of Jindo and several smaller nearby islands. Jindo Bridge connects Jindo county with Haenam county. Together with Jindo Island, Jindo Coun ...

. At its narrowest point, it is about across. The strait experiences tidal water speeds that exceed .

History and description

The strait has proved important at several points in Korean history. The seclusion it provided allowed the

Sambyeolcho Rebellion The Sambyeolcho Rebellion (1270–1273) was a Korean rebellion against the Goryeo dynasty that happened at the last stage of the Mongol invasions of Korea. It was suppressed by Goryeo and the Yuan dynasty. After the rebellion, Goryeo became a ...

to take refuge here in 1271. In 1597, during the

Imjin War The Imjin River ( in South Korea) or Rimjin River ( in North Korea) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea. The river i ...

, the Korean admiral,

Yi Sun-sin Admiral Yi Sun-sin (April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty. Over the course of his career, Admiral Yi foug ...

, achieved a decisive victory in the

Battle of Myeongnyang In the Battle of Myeongnyang, on October 26, 1597, the Korean Joseon Kingdom's navy, led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin, fought the Japanese navy in the Myeongnyang Strait, near Jindo Island, off the southwest corner of the Korean peninsula. Wit ...

although he was massively outnumbered by the Japanese fleet.

Tidal forces The tidal force is a gravitational effect that stretches a body along the line towards the center of mass of another body due to a gradient (difference in strength) in gravitational field from the other body; it is responsible for diverse phenomen ...

mean that the currents of the Myeongnyang Strait reverse direction roughly every three hours. Today, the strait is spanned by the Jindo (island) bridge, South Korea's longest

cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern ...

. There is also a memorial to

on the coast. The Myeongnyang Strait, during the lifetime of

Yi Sun-Shin Admiral Yi Sun-sin (April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty. Over the course of his career, Admiral Yi fough ...

, was also known as 'Uldolmok,' or 'the Roaring Channel,' most likely because of the powerful tides of the channel, which are especially loud during springtime.

References

Landforms of South Jeolla Province Straits of South Korea {{SouthKorea-geo-stub

History and description

See also

References