Location of Mokpo

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Mokpo Introduction

Mokpo (Mokpo-si) ( Korean 목포, Hanjia 木浦 )  is a major port city in South Jeolla Province , South Korea ,surrounded by hills facing the sea on the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula with a population of about 260,000. From Mokpo there are ferries to Tadohae Haesang National Park, Chin-do, Hong-do and Shinan island . The cheapest ferries to Chejo island also depart from Mokpo and the is now a ferry to Shanghai . Mokpo is the hometown of President Kim Dae-jung, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001

Video of Mokpo

Mokpo History 

The area of Mokpo was controlled by the Mahan confederacy in the 3rd to 2nd century BC and later by the kingdom Baekje (18 BCE – 660 AD)  . In 1439 King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty established the ' Mokpo man-ho ' or Mokpo bay camp to help fight Japanese pirates . There were many battles around Mokpo during the  Japanese invasion of 1592 ( Imjin War ) in which the Korean national hero, admiral Yi-Sun-shin fought . The most famous of the battles in the Mokpo area was the battle Myeongryang on October 26, 1597 where admiral Yi-Sun-shin defeated a Japanese force of 133 ships with 13 ships .

Video of  Battle of Myeongnyang Oct 27, 1597. the Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin fought the Japanese navy at sea in Myeongnyang Strait, near Jindo Island. With only the 13 ships remaining from Won Gyun's disastrous defeat at the Battle of Chilchonryang, Admiral Yi Sunsin held the strait against a fleet of 133 Japanese warships and at least 200 Japanese support ships. Many Japanese warships were sunk or disabled during the battle and the Japanese were forced to retreat. Given the disparity in numbers, the battle is regarded as one of Admiral Yi's most remarkable victories

Mokpo in the 1930s, when it was known as Moppo under Japanese rule

Mokpo was opened as a treaty port in 1897 and became a strategic Japanese colonial city and many building from this period can still be seen today .

                         Japanese colonial buildings in Mokpo       stamp with Lyrics for  ' The Tears of Mokpo '

In 1913 Mokpo was connected to Seoul by rail .

In the 1930s, Mun Il-sok wroke the popular folk song, ' the Tears of Mokpo '  

The city was one of the largest cities in Korea until the late 1970s. During the Japanese Occupation, the city served as a crucial port for commercial ventures and transportation and there are still many building from the Japanese colonial period dotting the city . Additionally, the public educational system was one of the very best in Korea.

In 1949 Mokpo was elevated to city status .

On Jul 25, 1950, North Korean forces entered Mokpo .

On May 30, 1980, Troops have sealed off the southern city of Mokpo, where anti-Government demonstrations took place .

President Kim Dae-jung earned full support from Mokpo voters as a presidential candidate, and other political rivals are accused of having tried to underdevelop the city to decrease its population and therefore Kim Dae-jung's support base. Since Kim Dae-jung's election, the city has undergone much development.

The city is currently constructing the South Jeolla provincial office, which will cement its status as the capital of the region after Gwangju becomes a self-administering special-status city.

The Mokpo Tourist Information Center

The Center is equipped with interpreters for
 English, Japanese and Chinese.

276 Daeyang-dong, Mokpo City

zoomable map of Mokpo in English

The people here are very friendly

Things to see in Mokpo 

Yudal San park

A short climb gives a commanding view of the city with many pavalions . There are many scultures to be see here, If you wander off the main trails you can find old carving on the hilside . The building in front of the park is historical site #289, which used to be the Japanese consulate . There is a statue there of Yi-Sun-shin, who gazes at Nojok-bong hill. According to legend Yi-Sun-shin covered the hill with straw bags to imitate bags of rice to fool the invading Japanese army that he had more troops than there really were .

Yudal beach

Take Number 1 Bus heading to Daebandong

Daebandong

Wharf area with many seafood restaurants . Not cheap, but worth it. Don't drink too much soju.Take the no1 bus .

Mokposisa

Built in 1890, a Confucian academy

Gohado, whereYi-Sun-shin commanded during the battle of Myeongryang,during the Imjin War

National Maritime Museum

Here you can see the remains of the yuan Dynasty junk ( which is quite large ) and the relics found with it, along with other items from Korean naval history

Take 111 Bus in front of Mokpo MBC, Hadang Geumho apartment, 25 minutes by taxi

Mokpo Natural History Museum

Mokpo Folklore Museum

Yongsan Dam and farming Museum

Regional Cultural Center  Hyangto Munhwagwan

Paintings by local artists, wooden carvings, Choson dynasty furniture

next to the Maritime Museum

Namnong Memorial Hall

Features paintings of the southern painting school .

Festivals in Mokpo 

Mokpo Cultural Festival

Held every September or October since 1959, and it shows lives and spirits of Namdo people. During the festival, there are various kinds of events such as Play Festival, Music Festival, Jazz Concert

Ceramic Fair
End of September

downtown Mokpo

Islands off Mokpo 

In the mouth of the Yongsan river and a naval base for Yi-Sun-shin

during the Imjin War, ferries run 5 times daily to the island . There are

to others islands off Mokpo, many of which are part of the Dadohae (Tadohae) Haesang National Parksuch as Hong-do, Huksando ,Pigum-do, Taeya-do ans Ui-do .Hong-do is the most popular island visited . there are 2 ferries there daily that take about 3.5 hours . there are ferries to Huksando that take about 2.5 hours .

Mokpo Ferry 

The Mokpo ferry Terminal is where you can catch ferries to nearby islands, Cheju ( Jeju ) do , Yeosu , and Shanghai .

Maps of Mokpo  

Map of Downtown Mokpo 

Map of islands around Mokpo 

Map showing islands around Mokpo such as Chin-Do, Hong-Do, Hussan-Do, Ui-Do

Tadohae Haesang National Park and the anti-Mongol fortresses of Namdosoksong and Yongjang Sansong

Mokpo Hotels 

Chowon Tourist Hotel Mokpo, 3 star hotel by the sea in the Mountain Yudal area.

1-9 2 ka Daeui dong, Mountain Yudal, Mokpo, South Korea

+82631 430055

Baek Je Hotel   , in the heart of old town

0-13, 1-Ga, Sangnak-Dong

82631 424411

Shinan Beach Hotel

+82631 433399

Hotel Haeunjang

10-5, Yonghae-Dong 1-Ga.

Hotel Alpsjang

1088-2, Yongdang 1-Dong

There are many yogwan and yoinsuk around the train station and ferry terminal

Mokpo Videos 

Tears of Mokpo karaoke 목포의 눈물

 click picture to play

Mokpo News 

The government will start building a mega economic zone on the south coast later this year by grouping Mokpo in South Jeolla Province, Busan and other southern cities. Tentatively named the Sun Belt economic zone

Jan. 3 An international stone fair will be held here in July with more than 200 companies

South Korea plans to complete a high-speed railway on its southwestern coast in 12 years, a move that will shorten the trip from the capital to the south by more than an hour

July 26, 2007  Archeologists and divers are now removing the high-quality green and blue-green glazed porcelain plates from what appears to be a 12th-century shipwreck in mudflats of the Goryeo Dynasty.

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 Mokpo Harbor,

 a Korean Gangster Comedy

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