Wido Government Office
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Location14-4, Jillian-gil Wido-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryCultural Heritage / Tangible Cultural Heritage
- Korean위도 관아
- Chinese蝟島官衙
- FieldHistory / Premodern
- Contents TypeHistoric Site / Building
- Current Location14-4, Jillian-gil Wido-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- A local government office of the Joseon Dynasty, located in Jin-ri, Wido-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
- Summary
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Gwana refers to a government office of the Joseon Dynasty from which gwana officials were dispatched to each province, county, and prefecture, and to the seats of local magistrates. Although there was no private space at a government office in the capital of Hanyang, each local government office had a dongheon (local magistrate’s main office) and a nae-a (magistrate’s residence).
- Location
- The Wido Government Office is located to the north of the Wido-myeon Office at 14-4, Jillian-gil (Jiili Village, 155, Jin-ri), Wido-myeon, Buan-gun.
- Development
- According to Joseon wangjo sillok (The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty), on August 11, 1419 (the first year of the reign of King Sejong), Lee Gak, provincial naval commander of Gyeonggijwa-do (West Gyeonggi Province), said, “As ships can now be built in Pyeongan-do and Hwanghae-do, we can build more warships in Gyeonggi-do, Chungcheong-do, Jeolla-do, and Gyeongsang-do for the east and west headquarters. Thus, to respond to emergencies, one headquarters will be in charge of defending the coastal area, while the other will defend the main islands including Deokjeokdo in Gyeonggi province, Baengnyeongdo in Hwanghae, Mokmido in Pyeongan, Yeondo in Chungcheong, Wido in Jeolla, and Geojedo in Gyeongsan. If any soldiers encounter Japanese raiders while collecting firewood or drawing water, our soldiers can charge the enemy, who will flee or surrender, and consequently they will not come close to us.” This record describes Lee Gak’s proposal to dispatch soldiers to Wido and other islands in order to attack the enemy immediately in the event of an incursion by Japanese raiders. Although he didn’t intend to establish a regular camp, this measure shows that Wido was nonetheless an important strategic point. The Widojin Naval Camp was established in 1682 (the 8th year of the reign of King Sukjong) to defend various strategic areas including Garipo Port, Yimchi Prefecture, Gogunsan Mountain, Dagyeongpo Port, Beopseongpo Port, Geommopo Port, Gunsanpo Port, and Jido Island, because the area under the Jeolla Usuyeong (Right Naval Headquarters) was too large. The Widojin Naval Camp had a small garrison of 53 marines led by the local commander.
The Local Map (owned by the Gyujanggak Library) published in 1872 (the 9th year of the reign of King Gojong) features a painting of this government office building. The painting depicts the Red Arrow Gate at the front, behind which there is a group of buildings consisting of a central gate, with the local official’s office (yicheong) on the left, and the commander’s office (saryeongcheong) on the right, while behind them are the military office (gyocheong) to the west of the courtyard, the local magistrate’s residence/office (asa), the warehouse, the guesthouse (gaeksa) and the arsenal (gungi). However, at present, only the local magistrate’s residence/office remains.
- Forms
- Today, only the dongheon (local magistrate’s main office) remains, so it is difficult to describe the entire building. The current office building was built during the late Joseon period and is the best-preserved local government office in the island areas of Korea thanks to its designation as Jeollabuk-do Tangible Cultural Heritage No. 101. The office has a half-hipped roof and measures five kan (a unit of measurement referring to the distance between two columns) at the front by three kan at the sides, and is surrounded by a low stone wall. Its structure consists of an elevated soil base, and a natural stone foundation (orlo), on top of which a pillar is erected. It has a door at the front, and a daecheong (main floored hall) in the middle, flanked by two rooms. Each room has a front door and another door connecting to the daecheong, which has a wooden door at the back. A well and a number of stone monuments are situated in front of the building.
- Current State
- Wido Island, which is located about 14 kilometers to the west of Gyeokpo Port on the Byeonsan Peninsula, is composed of six inhabited islands and twenty-four uninhabited islands. The name of the island (do) originates from its supposed resemblance to a hedgehog (wi). As most of the buildings of the Wido Government Office were destroyed by fire, only the renovated dongheon (main office building) remains, making it difficult to ascertain the original features. A zelkova tree was planted in front of the dongheon during the renovation of the building, which is owned and managed by Buan County. It is desirable to conduct an excavation and investigation to determine the existence of other buildings in the area. The Wido Government Office was designated as Jeollabuk-do Tangible Cultural Heritage No. 101 on August 30, 1982.
- Historical Significance
- Wido Island was a major port of call for ships as it used to connect various sea routes. The Xuanhe Commissioner’s Illustrated Account of Goryeo, a diplomatic record by a Song Dynasty delegation dating from 1123 (the 1st year of the reign of King Injong), states the following about the island: “(Date) A clear day. We passed by Goseomseom Island, which isn’t far from Jukdo Island. The mountains look similar to each other, and the island appears to be inhabited. Goseomseom Island was thus named by Goryeo’s people because its trees are not very tall and resemble a hedgehog’s spines. As we dropped anchor at this island, Goryeo people came in their boats to offer us water, so we gave them rice in return. As a strong east wind was blowing, we ended up staying for a night at this island.”
Currently, the Wido Government Office could perhaps be used to promote maritime exchanges between Korea and China, to vitalize Wido’s maritime culture, and to boost local maritime tourism in the future.
- See Also