Gwangju Castle
Gwangju Castle was a stone fortress from Korea’s Joseon era, located where Gwangju is today in South Korea. It had four gates: Seowon Gate to the east, Gwangni Gate to the west, Jinnam Gate to the south, and Gongbuk Gate to the north. Old records say the wall around the castle was about 972 steps long.
People think it was built in the early 1400s as part of defenses for invasions, with construction linked to nearby areas like Naju and Boseong.
After Korea modernized in 1897, government buildings in Gwangju were used as post offices and hospitals. The city wall gradually disappeared, and many say the Japanese colonial government began tearing it down around 1907, though some say it may have fallen earlier.
By 1910 there were reports of taking materials from the wall and gates. Today nothing remains of Gwangju Castle, but a replica of the Jinnam Gate’s wall can be seen at the National Asian Culture Hall in Gyeongju. Some public artworks in Gwangju reference the old gates and their meanings, such as Seowon Gate and the idea of good fortune to the east. The name Gwangnimun is connected to wishes and to the area west of Gwangju and Gwangsan.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 22:56 (CET).