Goheung cultural heritage course 1 | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

Goheung Jonsimdang and Amun are the old local government office building Jonsimdang and its main gate Amun located in Okha-ri. It is a building with a gabled roof and was designated as a Tangible Cultural Heritage of Jeollanam-do in 1974. Jonsimdang, along with Geumseonggwan in Naju, serves as a reference for the architectural style of local government offices during the Joseon Dynasty. The construction date of Jonsimdang and Amun is estimated to be the 41st year of King Yeongjo's reign (1765). From the Japanese colonial period until 1985, it was used as a county office building, and after a new office building was completed, it was preserved. Although somewhat altered, it was fully dismantled and restored to its original form in June 1987. In 2023, Goheung County Office demolished the old county office building while completing the Goheung Jonsimdang Historical and Cultural Park on its site, reaffirming the historical value of Jonsimdang and Amun and providing a rest area for residents. The main gate Amun has a roof over the central section that is higher than those on both sides and is fitted with plank doors.

Ssangchungsa Shrine is a memorial dedicated to Chungnyeolgong Lee Daewon and Chungjanggong Jeong Woon. Lee Daewon, as the Nokdomanho in 1587, successfully fought against Japanese invaders appearing on the southern coast and died in battle at Sonjukdo sea. Jeong Woon was appointed Nokdomanho in 1591 by recommendation of Yu Seong-ryong and, during the Imjin War, fought as a vanguard alongside Yi Sun-sin in the battles of Okpo and Hansan, later dying at Morundae. Ssangchungsa was established in 1605 by Lee Daesang, Lee Daewon's son, and was designated as a cultural monument of Jeollanam-do in 1990. The shrine is a three-kan wide by two-kan deep structure with a hipped-and-gabled roof. Inside are enshrined memorial tablets of Lee Daewon and Jeong Woon. Located on a high hill by the Bongam-ri coast, it offers views of Sorokdo, Nokdong Port, and the Nokdong Port Sea Garden. Exiting through the rear gate, visitors find the park-style Nokdojin fortress site.

Nokdong Port is always bustling with island residents and tourists traveling to various islands. Even outside the tourist season, it is crowded with people looking to buy various seafood at the cooperative fish auction market. An essential place here is a restaurant where you can have fresh sashimi prepared and eaten on the spot. Nokdong Hoe Town is a restaurant located on the second floor of the auction market. Guests can enjoy sashimi bought from the brokers on the first floor along with jiritang (clear fish soup) and spicy fish stew. A dipping sauce fee is charged per person.

Sorokdo is located less than 1 km from Nokdong Port at the tip of the Goheung Peninsula in Jeonnam, and is called Sorokdo because the shape of the island resembles a young deer. This island is famous for housing the National Sorokdo Hospital for Hansen's disease patients. Although it is an island imbued with the sorrows and joys of former Hansen's disease patients, currently about 700 patients nurture love and hope overcoming their hardships. The island covers an area of only 4.42 km² but is emerging as a new tourist attraction in Goheung-gun due to its clean natural environment, coastal scenery, and historical monuments. From the dockside at Nokdong Port across the Goheung Peninsula, the beautiful small island resembling a deer, Sorokdo, can be seen about 600 m ahead. The Sorok Bridge, opened in 2009, allows access to Sorokdo via National Road 27, making visits more convenient and increasing tourists. The National Sorokdo Hospital began with the Sorokdo Jaheuiwon, established in 1916, which was then the only specialized hospital for Hansen's disease in Joseon. The Central Park was created over 3 years and 4 months starting in December 1936 by forcibly mobilizing over 60,000 patients to form an area of 19,834.8 m² (6,000 pyeong). Even now, entering the park, there are various shaped trees grown by patients, and the whole area is well maintained. Throughout the park, historical monuments preserving the pain of the patients are well preserved. At the park entrance, there are confinement and autopsy rooms from the Japanese colonial period where the hospital director illegally detained Hansen's disease patients and forcibly performed vasectomies on release day without exception. In front of the autopsy room, a poignant poem by a patient who was forcibly vasectomized at age 25 remains, touching the hearts of visitors. There is also a life data center exhibiting various materials showing the history of Sorokdo Hospital and the daily lives of patients. From Nokdong Port, you can take a tour boat to enjoy the refreshing sea breeze and the spectacular scenery of the many bizarre rocks such as Hwalgae Rock and Turtle Rock in the Dadohae Archipelago. Nearby Narodo Beach, with its gentle coastline and shallow waters, is popular as a family vacation spot. About 50 minutes by car from Nokdong is Pallyong Mountain Natural Recreation Forest, where visitors can enjoy mountains, valleys, and spectacular sunrises, as well as stay in mountain huts inside the forest. Within the park, there are monuments reflecting the patients' emotions and philanthropy, such as a barley flute monument dedicated to the Hansen's disease poet Han Haun, a plaque for Director Hanai Zenkichi, a Japanese caretaker revered as Sorokdo's Schweitzer for his devoted care, and the Gu-ra Tower engraved with 'Hansen's disease is curable.' The island also features Sorokdo Beach, where dense pine forests and white sandy beaches are harmoniously blended.