Ganghwa Island (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The l ...

;

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

), also known by its

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

name Ganghwado, is a

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...

in the

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

of the Han River. It is in the

Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. It is one of four seas named after common colour ter ...

, off

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

's west coast. The island is separated from

Gimpo Gimpo () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Incheon, with which it shares the South Korean side of the Han River estuary, as well as Seoul and the lesser cities of Paju and Goyang. North Korea is across the Han River. The c ...

(on the South Korean mainland) by a narrow channel spanned by two bridges, and from

Kaesong Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...

(Gaeseong) in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

by the main channel of the Han River. North Korea can be seen on clear days from less than two kilometers away on South Korea's Ganghwa Island allowing better views of North Korean villages than from elsewhere in South Korea. It is strategically located, controlling access to the river which runs through former

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

and the present South Korean capital

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

. Its fortifications were repeatedly attacked during the

19th century The 19th (nineteenth) century began on 1 January 1801 ( MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 ( MCM). The 19th century was the ninth century of the 2nd millennium. The 19th century was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was abolish ...

. With an area of , it constitutes most of Ganghwa County (a division of

Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

). The island has a population of about 65,500, half of whom live in Ganghwa Town (Ganghwa-eup) in the northeast.

Name

"Ganghwado" or "Ganghwa-do" ( ko, , formerly ) means "island made prosperous", "illustrious" or "flourishing by the river" (in reference to its formation from the

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel ...

carried downriver by the Han River). Former romanizations include "Kang-hoa" and "Kang-hwa".

Geography

The island is in the estuary of

's Han River. It is , long and wide, the fourth-largest island in South Korea. The island's highest point is Mani-san ( above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...

Climate

History

With the primary fortifications protecting the

capital of

from foreign invasion, Ganghwa Island was the site of several 19th-century

punitive expedition A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong beh ...

s. The mass execution of

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

French missionaries and Korean converts under the ministry of the

Heungseon Daewongun Heungseon Daewongun (흥선대원군, 興宣大院君, 21 December 1820 – 22 February 1898; ), also known as the Daewongun (대원군, 大院君), Guktaegong (국태공, 國太公, "The Great Archduke") or formally Internal King Heungseon Heon ...

in the mid-1860s led to a French invasion in 1866 which held the island for several weeks, although the inability of Admiral Pierre-Gustave Roze to sail up the shallow, uncharted Han River and attack its fortified

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

prevented overland incursion. In 1871, a Korean assault on an American diplomatic mission led to the Battle of Ganghwa. Rear Admiral Rodgers took five forts on the island, but withdrew after the Koreans refused to negotiate. After an 1868 diplomatic incident related to Korea's refusal to recognize the imperial status of the

emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the ...

, the forts at Ganghwa fired on a Japanese boat from the surveying gunship '' Un'yō'' in 1875. During the Japanese Battle of Ganghwa, ''Un'yō'' captain Inoue Yoshika silenced the batteries with superior firepower and landed a raiding force which plundered local communities. The

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

blockaded the area and compelled the 1876

Treaty of Ganghwa A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

, which opened Korea to Japanese commerce.

1871 invasion by U.S. warships

In 1866, the ''General Sherman'' arrived at Pyongyang via the

Daedong River The Taedong River (Chosŏn'gŭl: ) is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthening ...

. A Welsh pastor, Thomas, was a crewman traveling for missionary work to Joseon. Pyongyang governor Park Gyu-su, Park Ji-won's grandson, informed the crew about his refusal to allow trade and advised them to go back. Disputes worsened among the crew; after they kidnapped a Joseon official and held him hostage, Korean authorities sank the boat and killed the surviving crew. In 1871, during the Joseon expedition, the U.S. decided to open a port. It ordered the Joseon expedition to Asia, led by Fleet Commander Rogers. On June 1, The U.S. led sounding navigation of the Ganghwa Strait. When the fleet arrived in Sondolmok, it was attacked from the coastline by a Ganghwa artillery unit. The American fleet seized the Chojijin Fort with naval gunfire. The American army took over Deokjjinjin Fort on June 11, and began the Gwangseongbo operation. After an hour of land and sea shelling, the American army captured Gwangseongbo. Three Americans were killed, and 10 wounded. Three hundred fifty Koreans were killed, and 20 wounded.

Therapeutic turnip

The island's turnip (''

Brassica rapa ''Brassica rapa'' is a plant species growing in various widely cultivated forms including the turnip (a root vegetable); napa cabbage, bomdong, bok choy, and rapini. ''Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''oleifera'' is an oilseed which has many common n ...

'') has been cultivated for over a thousand years. Its moisture content is over 90 percent, and its main component is carbohydrate. The dark-purple, taproot vegetable has a mustardy scent and tastes like ginseng. The turnip's seeds and fully-grown vegetable are used in folk remedies and Oriental medicine. Its leaves have vitamins, and its roots contain

tryptophan Tryptophan (symbol Trp or W) is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. Tryptophan contains an α-amino group, an α-carboxylic acid group, and a side chain indole, making it a polar molecule with a non-polar aromatic ...

and

glycyrrhizin Glycyrrhizin (or glycyrrhizic acid or glycyrrhizinic acid) is the chief sweet-tasting constituent of ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'' ( liquorice) root. Structurally, it is a saponin used as an emulsifier and gel-forming agent in foodstuffs and cosmet ...

. Said to have anticancer activity, the turnip helps cure skin diseases, digestive ailments, tuberculosis and respiratory disease with an anti-bacterial effect.

Festivals

*Goryeo Azalea Festival: Mid-April at Dolmen Square on Goryeo Mountain *Ganghwa Salted Shrimp Festival: Early October at Oepo-ri dock *Ganghwa Foundation Day Grand Festival: October 1–3 in Chamseongdan on Manisan

Tourist attractions

Notable people

CoreJJ Jo Yong-in ( ko, 조용인), better known as CoreJJ, is a South Korean '' League of Legends'' player who is the support for Team Liquid of the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS). He won the 2017 World Championship with Samsung Galaxy. ...

, birth name Jo Yong-in, professional ''League of Legends'' player

References

Citations

Ganghwa Tourism

Bibliography

* {{citation , first=Hugh Alexander , last=Webster , display-authors=0 , contribution= Corea , title='Encyclopædia Britannica'', 9th ed., Vol. VI'' , editor-last=Baynes , editor-first=Thomas Spencer , display-editors=0 , publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons , location=New York , date=1878 , ref={{harvid, ''EB'', 1878 , pages=390–394 . Ganghwa County Islands of Incheon