Jindo, a Valuable Island that Embraced Goryeo

Jindo or Jin Island, off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula, is the third largest island in Korea, following Jeju Island and Geoje Island. It is part of Jindo County, consisting of an archipelago of a number of smaller islands.

The island’s fertile area is as large as that of the mainland, and it was once called ‘okju(옥주),’ which refers to a fertile village. The name of the island, ‘Jindo,’ meaning a ‘valuable land,’ also represents abundance by implication. On this island, a man named Bae Jung-son built the capital of the Goryeo kingdom in the 13th century, dreaming of his nation’s independence.

He was the leader of Sambyeolcho, a military unit to fight against Mongol forces that invaded Goryeo in 1231.

Declare to Fight

Chingiz Khan unified nomadic tribes in Mongolia and conquered China, Central Asia and East Europe to build a powerful empire covering the largest territory ever in human history in the 13th century. Even after his death, the Mongol Empire’s pursuit of world conquest continued. It invaded the Goryeo kingdom seven times between 1231 and 1258.

The Goryeo court, plagued by the massive attack by the Mongol forces, relocated its capital from Gaegyeong(개경), which is present-day Gaeseong, to Ganghwa Island in 1232. There, it put up a fierce resistance for 40 years, using the sea surrounding it as a shield.

Exhausted by the long war, however, the Goryeo court surrendered in 1270 and issued an order to disband Sambyeolcho, which was a special military unit organized by Goryeo’s military government but later took the lead in fighting against Mongol forces. As its name ‘specially selected troops’ indicates, however, Sambyeolcho refused to surrender. On June 1st, 1270, supreme commander Bae Jung-son declared his determination to fight, under the banner of anti-foreign power and independence.

From Ganghwa to Jindo

The historic fight is known as the Sambyeolcho resistance. Bae crowned Seunghwahu On(승화후 온), a royal kinsman, as king. Dreaming of a new Goryeo kingdom, he left Ganghwa Island and headed to Jindo on June 3rd, leading some 1,000 ships filled with people and goods.

The tidal currents of 13 knots per hour, the strongest in Asia, ran in the seas between Jindo and the mainland. The island was so fertile that one year of farming could feed people for three years. It proved ideal to enter the island and ensure safety by using the weak point of the Mongol forces. That is, the Mongols were vulnerable to sea battles as they grew up on the continent and were used to land combat.

‘Sambyeolcho Government,’ another Goryeo in Goryeo

Presenting itself as the legitimate government of Goryeo, the ‘Sambyeolcho government’ engaged in various activities in the initial stage.

Bae built a large mountain fortress spanning longer than 12 kilometers on Yongjang(용장) Mountain and constructed a magnificent palace, which was no less majestic than the one in the capital of Gaegyeong, namely, Manwoldae(만월대).

He also brought nearby islands and coastal regions under his control and built a sort of ‘maritime kingdom.’ Jindo and the archipelago in the vicinity served as a gateway to the mainland for cargo vessels. Naturally, Jindo was able to take all grains heading to the capital to be offered as tax. It came to dispatch envoys to Japan on its own and even sought to form a united front with Japan to fend off the Mongols.

Bae also won the hearts of the people, who called the Sambyeolcho government in Jindo ‘liberation forces.’ Those who were determined to fight the Mongols gathered in Jindo to join Sambyeolcho. Unfortunately, the new kingdom in Jindo, which seemed to thrive forever, came to an end in nine months.
Live as a Goryeo man to the End

A combined Goryeo and Mongol army mobilized 10-thousand soldiers and 400 warships to wage an all-out war to suppress Sambyeolcho in May 1271. Bae and his troops fought bravely and held out for ten days. But the allied forces, armed with massive firepower and new weapons, finally took the Yongjang mountain fortress and the palace. Bae died a heroic death on the battlefield.

Having lost their leader, the survivors of Sambyeolcho moved their base to Jeju Island and fought there for two years. But they vanished in 1273 after a combined Goryeo-Mongol assault. That was the end of Goryeo’s long struggle against the Mongol invasion. Goryeo was reduced to a subordinate state of Mongolia and was ruled by the Mongols for more than a hundred years until it went out of existence.

It is uncertain when and where Bae was born. Little is known about his personal life. But the brave man led the Sambyeolcho resistance forces and never yielded to the strong Mongol invaders. His name was deeply engraved in the minds of Goryeo people, becoming the symbol of national defense.