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Spring tends to be an exhilarating season for everyone, but it is especially so for those studying history. That is because it is when the subtle enthusiasm that usually arises at the beginning of a new semester and academic year follows students along the field trips they embark on in the warm rays of spring. The enthusiasm further escalates if the destination of such a field trip turns out to be in the southern parts of Korea where scents of spring permeate more deeply. With that same sense of enthusiasm, we set off for the city of Suncheon in the province of South Jeolla.

Although one side of Suncheon meets the sea, 70 percent of the city is made up of mountains, making it the most mountainous city in the South Jeolla province. That is probably why many old Buddhist temples are set in mountains, including Seonamsa and Songgwangsa. Moreover, Suncheon Bay has been attracting many visitors from gaining a certain degree of fame domestically and overseas as an ecological park. Now a source of pride to its people, the natural beauty of Suncheon has come a long way from all the trouble it once went through because of its geographical conditions.

Bordering the southern sea Namhae, Suncheon was often invaded by the Japanese since the late Goryeo dynasty. However, the Imjin War of 1592-1598, particularly the Jeongyu jaeran (丁酉再亂) in 1597, was when the Japanese caused the most damage to the southern parts of Korea. The historic sites that well represent the circumstances Suncheon had to endure from such invasions are Suncheon waeseong, the only remaining castle out of the several built by the Japanese in the South Jeolla province, and Geomdan sanseong, a fortress facing the castle.

Joseon People Mobilized to Build a Japanese Castle

Suncheon waeseong, or Suncheon Japanese Castle, was built by the Japanese army during Jeongyu jaeran, the Japanese invasion that occurred in 1597, the thirtieth year of King Seonjo's reign. From July 1597, the Japanese army rampaged through Korea's Jeolla province and proceeded northward. However, they were counterattacked by the combined army and naval forces of the two dynasties Joseon and Ming, which drove some of them to continue heading north and the rest to withdraw southward. Among the latter was Konishi Yukinaga, who turned back with his men and spent three months from September 1597 building a castle in Suncheon. That was where the final battle took place between the Japanese army and the Joseon-Ming combined forces. It was also where the Korean admiral Yi Sun-shin put an end to a series of invasions over the course of seven years by luring Konishi Yukinaga to the coastal waters of Noryang when the Japanese general had been preparing to retreat back to his home country.

The above suggests that Suncheon must have been a very critical place to the Japanese as a base for targeting the Jeolla province and as a crossroad leading to their home country. That may have something to do with how solidly the castle was raised, unbelievably so for one built in three months. With a headquarter and an inner and outer bailey constructed across 1.19 million square meters of land, the castle's main part is adjacent to the sea and surrounded by three layers of walls, which was different from Korean castles typically circled by single-layered walls. Also, instead of forming its walls in straight rows, the castle's passages were bent to make it difficult to infiltrate from the outside. A moat was dug on the land connected to the castle's west side, which opened up to the sea on the inside and protected by a wooden fence installed on the outside. All these features show how carefully the Japanese army shaped the castle and how heavily they mobilized the people of Joseon to construct such a sturdy, large castle within such a short period of time.

What is now visible at the castle are only parts of its walls, the keep's stylobate, and the main entrances connecting the inner and outer baileys. The castle's surrounding environment has experienced many changes over the years so that there is almost no trace of the moat that was deep enough to flow out to the sea. The section that used to open up to the sea has now been reclaimed in order to build an industrial complex. What was originally a three-story construction, only the stylobate remains of the castle's keep, which now offers from its top a view of the industrial complex and the sea beyond it.

The several field trips taken so far has taught us how important it is when exploring a destination to think about what the environment had been like back in the day and how it must have affected the people living in it. So, as students studying history, we tried to picture the Japanese army stationed upon the castle's keep, getting ready to fight or retreat on around 500 ships anchored nearby, the people of Joseon looking up at what they helped build for their enemy, and the troops of Joseon preparing for battle close by in hiding. For a moment, the green grass stretching beyond the stylobate under a clear sky didn't seem utterly beautiful.

The Ferocity, Perniciousness, and Desolation of War

Not far from the Suncheon Japanese Castle to its west is Geomdan sanseong, or Geomdan Fortress. The stone fortress seems to be from the era of the ancient Korean kingdom Baekje, built between the late sixth and early seventh century, and was the first of its kind to be discovered in the area. The fortress doesn't stand out as much as the castle nearby since piles of roof tiles and traces of its walls in the woods are all that is left of it. However, it was the very place where the Ming general Liu Ting and Joseon commander-in-chief Gwon Yul had marshalled their combined army forces to confront the Japanese army at the castle. Alongside them were the combined naval forces of Ming and Joseon by admirals Chen Lin and Yi Sun-shin who carried out six joint operations at Suncheon's coastal waters to occupy the castle. Scenes from that time were captured in a Ming artist's painting titled "Zheng wo ji gong tu" (征倭紀功圖). The painting was used to make a folding screen that is now partially kept at the National Museum of Korea.

Suncheon in the spring is an attractive destination full of the natural beauty its green mountains and bay has to offer on top of an abundant warmth distinct to the southern parts of Korea. Yet, it would also be worthwhile to take note of traces left behind by past kingdoms such as Baekje and Joseon or the Buddhist cultural heritage from the days of Goryeo. The Suncheon Japanese Castle and Geomdan Fortress are destinations to be sought for that interesting juxtaposition of natural beauty and the ferocity, perniciousness, and desolation of war.