@article{ART003388320},
author={HONG MINYOO},
title={The Reinforcement of the Coastal Defense System in Gyeonggi Bay and the Establishment of Hwadojin during the Late 19th Century},
journal={military history},
issn={1598-317X},
year={2026},
number={140},
pages={355-393}
TY - JOUR
AU - HONG MINYOO
TI - The Reinforcement of the Coastal Defense System in Gyeonggi Bay and the Establishment of Hwadojin during the Late 19th Century
JO - military history
PY - 2026
VL - null
IS - 140
PB - Military History Institute, MND
SP - 355
EP - 393
SN - 1598-317X
AB - This study examines the establishment, operation, and dissolution of Hwadojin, a coastal defense garrison in Incheon that existed from 1879 to 1894. While previous research has focused primarily on the institutional background and organizational changes of Hwadojin, the actual operational aspects have remained largely unexplored due to limitations in available sources. This study draws on official records such as the Jigugwancheong Ilgi (지구관청일기), Gaksadeungnok (각사등록), and Gyeonggi Gwancho (경기관초) to reconstruct the day-to-day functioning of the garrison.
Hwadojin was established in 1879 at Jemulpo, Incheon, in response to the recurring appearance of foreign vessels along the coast and mounting pressure from Japan following the Treaty of Ganghwa. In its early phase, the garrison’s primary role was coastal surveillance and defense against foreign ships. After the opening of the port of Incheon and the establishment of the Office of the Commissioner (Gamniseo) in 1883, however, Hwadojin’s responsibilities expanded to include monitoring the movements of foreign vessels, maintaining order in the treaty port, and managing telegraph lines. At the same time, the taxation and judicial authority Hwadojin had held as an independent garrison (dokjin) increasingly conflicted with the administrative authority of the Gamniseo, giving rise to repeated jurisdictional disputes throughout the 1890s. These disputes were ultimately turned into the very justification for abolishing the garrison: in 1894, during the Gabo Reforms, the Deliberative Council on Military Affairs (Gungukgimucheo) ordered Hwadojin’s dissolution on the grounds that its continued existence was meaningless once a commissioner and police officers had already been appointed. Even after its formal abolition, disputes over its land and property continued until 1905.
By empirically documenting the operational realities of Hwadojin and its friction with the Gamniseo, this study illuminates the process by which a coastal garrison in a treaty port was transformed from a purely military outpost into a site of overlapping administrative, fiscal, and security functions during the port-opening period.
KW - Hwadojin; Jemulpo; Port-Opening Period; Foreign Ships; West Coast;Gyeonggi Bay;Gamniseo
DO -
UR -
ER -
HONG MINYOO. (2026). The Reinforcement of the Coastal Defense System in Gyeonggi Bay and the Establishment of Hwadojin during the Late 19th Century. military history, 140, 355-393.
HONG MINYOO. 2026, "The Reinforcement of the Coastal Defense System in Gyeonggi Bay and the Establishment of Hwadojin during the Late 19th Century", military history, no.140, pp.355-393.
HONG MINYOO "The Reinforcement of the Coastal Defense System in Gyeonggi Bay and the Establishment of Hwadojin during the Late 19th Century" military history 140 pp.355-393 (2026) : 355.
HONG MINYOO. The Reinforcement of the Coastal Defense System in Gyeonggi Bay and the Establishment of Hwadojin during the Late 19th Century. 2026; 140 : 355-393.
HONG MINYOO. "The Reinforcement of the Coastal Defense System in Gyeonggi Bay and the Establishment of Hwadojin during the Late 19th Century" military history no.140(2026) : 355-393.
HONG MINYOO. The Reinforcement of the Coastal Defense System in Gyeonggi Bay and the Establishment of Hwadojin during the Late 19th Century. military history, 140, 355-393.
HONG MINYOO. The Reinforcement of the Coastal Defense System in Gyeonggi Bay and the Establishment of Hwadojin during the Late 19th Century. military history. 2026; 140 355-393.
HONG MINYOO. The Reinforcement of the Coastal Defense System in Gyeonggi Bay and the Establishment of Hwadojin during the Late 19th Century. 2026; 140 : 355-393.
HONG MINYOO. "The Reinforcement of the Coastal Defense System in Gyeonggi Bay and the Establishment of Hwadojin during the Late 19th Century" military history no.140(2026) : 355-393.
