[Lee Sang-hoon's Korean History] The Place Where Cheong-i Threw Himself... Why Baengnyeongdo?

From Manuscripts, Woodblocks, Movable Type to Adaptations
Over 200 Versions of Simcheongjeon
Simcheong's Hometowns Vary from Hwanghaedo to Song Dynasty

The Indangsu River Where Nanjing Merchants Committed Human Sacrifice
High Possibility of Capsizing and Drift Due to Bad Weather and Currents
Also Theories Suggesting the Route Between Zhejiang Province and Goryeo
Or the Byeonsan Peninsula Area

Baengnyeongdo, Site of Simcheonggak
Recorded as a Stormy Gokdo in Samguk Yusa
A Strategic Military and Transportation Point Alongside Jangsan Cape
Famous for Dangerous Sea Routes in Sejong and Seonjo Annals

"Eventually, the boat arrived at a certain place, which was Indangsu. A great storm arose, and it seemed as if sea dragons were fighting; lightning struck as if crashing down. In the vast and wide sea, the wind blew, creating large waves, and the storm was so fierce that even fog thickly covered the area. The journey ahead was thousands of miles long, and darkness fell all around as the sky and earth silently sank. The fierce currents roared, striking the front of the boat with a bang, and the waves surged turbulently."

This is part of the story of Simcheongjeon. Simcheongjeon is a tale with the plot that "Simcheong sacrifices herself by throwing her body into Indangsu after being sold for 300 sacks of rice to restore her blind father, Sim Bongsa's sight." However, Simcheongjeon is not as simple a story as we know. There are over 200 versions of Simcheongjeon, including handwritten manuscripts, woodblock prints, movable type prints, and even adapted versions.

Simcheong's hometown is known to be Dohwa-dong in Hwangju, Hwanghae Province. But early versions of Simcheongjeon record places such as Yuliguk in the Song Dynasty, Namgun land in the Ming Dynasty, and Hwangju in the Song Dynasty. This means it is not the Hwangju in Hwanghae Province that we know. It is understood that the story of Simcheong was formed around the 17th century as the stories of merchants traveling between Goryeo and the Song Dynasty gradually transformed. Originally, the story of Simcheong passed through the Song Dynasty, Goryeo, and Joseon, undergoing adaptation and diffusion before settling in Korea. Later, as it was transmitted through both novel and pansori traditions, it became more complex, and around the Japanese colonial period, variant texts increased, leading to the present day.

"We are sailors from Nanjing. The Dragon King of Indangsu accepts human sacrifices, so if there is a 15 or 16-year-old virgin with no blemish on her body and who shows filial piety and chastity, we will pay a large sum to buy her!" It is important to note that Nanjing merchants appear in Simcheongjeon. Most Song Dynasty merchants who traveled to Goryeo were from the Jiangnan region, including Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong provinces.

Since ancient times, there have been three main sea routes from China to the Korean Peninsula. First, the West Sea coastal route. From Dengzhou on the Shandong Peninsula in China, it crosses north over the Bohai Sea to the Liaodong Peninsula, then sails east along the coast of the Liaodong Peninsula to the mouth of the Yalu River. Second, the West Sea transverse route. From Dengzhou on the Shandong Peninsula, it sails directly east to the area around Baengnyeongdo. Third, the West Sea diagonal route. From the Jiangnan region in China, it sails northeast diagonally to the area around the Byeonsan Peninsula.

The safest way for Nanjing merchants to cross the West Sea was the coastal route following the shoreline. However, this route took a long time and had the risk of grounding due to shallow waters depending on weather conditions. The fastest way was the West Sea diagonal route crossing northeast. Although the diagonal route shortened travel time, it had a high risk of capsizing or drifting with currents depending on weather.

In this context, there is a view that Indangsu is located on the route between Zhejiang Province in China, passing through the Zhoushan Archipelago, and Goryeo. It is said that Chinese merchants performed human sacrifices in this sea area where wind direction, currents, and waves were unpredictable. Also, considering the West Sea diagonal route, there is an opinion that Indangsu corresponds to the area around Byeonsan Peninsula in Korea. Currently, Simcheonggak is established on Baengnyeongdo, Korea's northwesternmost island. Then why has the legend of Indangsu remained near Baengnyeongdo?

Sanghoon Lee, Professor, Department of Military History, Korea Military Academy

In the Samguk Yusa, it is recorded that "During the reign of Queen Jinseong of Silla, when Yangpae was going as an envoy to the Tang Dynasty, the boat reached Gokdo (鵠島), where a great storm arose, and they stayed for about ten days." Gokdo is present-day Baengnyeongdo. Baengnyeongdo was called Gokdo during the Three Kingdoms period and began to be called Baengnyeong (White Feather) during the Goryeo period. This shows that it functioned as a mid-voyage stopover for navigation in the West Sea since ancient times.

Looking north from Baengnyeongdo, one can see the Jangsan Peninsula of North Korea, only about 13 km away. Sailing around the Jangsan Peninsula, which juts out prominently westward into the sea, is still difficult today. It was even more so in pre-modern times. Baengnyeongdo (island) was the first place where external forces traveling the West Sea transverse route arrived, and Jangsan Cape was a place that external forces traveling the West Sea coastal route had to detour around. Baengnyeongdo and Jangsan Cape form a set and were the most important military and transportation strategic points in northwest Silla.

The Annals of King Sejong state, "Jangsan Cape in Jangyeon, Hwanghae Province, extends about 4 to 5 siks (息) into the sea, making the waterways dangerous, so the grain transport from Gyeonggi Province to Pyongan Province cannot pass." One sik is about 30 ri. This means it protrudes 120 to 150 ri, or 48 to 60 km. The Annals of King Seonjo say, "The waters near Jangsan Cape are extremely dangerous, and even in normal times, boats from Pyongan Province often shipwrecked." Also, the Annals of King Hyojong record, "Grain transport ships in Hwanghae Province capsized several times near Jangsan Cape." As the records show, Jangsan Cape was a difficult point for navigation throughout the Joseon Dynasty. The Annals of King Yeongjo contain military measures regarding Jangsan Cape.

"Jangsan Cape's sea route is very treacherous, so soldiers going out for training in Hwanghae Province often capsize or fall here. The first place where pirate ships appear is the sea in front of Jangyeon, which is truly worrisome. Therefore, if a separate military camp is established north of Jangsan Cape, with some officers conducting training and others managing it entirely, the concern of soldiers drowning will be eliminated. Pirates will also not dare to roam freely."

This was a report by Hong Hwabo, the magistrate of Jangyeon, to Prime Minister Kim Chi-in in 1771. Since navigating around Jangsan Cape was difficult, a separate military camp was needed north of Jangsan Cape. When Kim Chi-in reported this to King Yeongjo, the king ordered military training to be conducted separately to the south and north of Jangsan Cape. Due to the difficulty of navigation, military training and responses to external threats had to be divided north and south based on Jangsan Cape.

A nautical chart titled 'Jangsan-got to Yalu River Estuary, West Coast of Joseon (長山串至鴨綠江口 朝鮮西岸)' created in 1936 by the Hydrographic Department of the Japanese Navy.

The 1936 sea chart titled ‘Jangsan-gwan to Amnok River Mouth (長山串至鴨綠江口): West Coast of Joseon (朝鮮西岸)’ produced by the Japanese Navy Hydrographic Department contains various underwater information. It reveals depths, reefs, and sandbanks that cannot be seen on general land-centered maps. The 1907 ‘Joseon Hydrography’ produced by the Japanese Navy Hydrographic Department provides more detailed information. The tidal current speed between Daecheongdo and Socheongdo is 3 knots, while near Jangsan Cape it is 5 to 7 knots, about twice as fast. One knot is approximately 1.85 km/h. This means the current speed near Jangsan Cape is about 9 to 13 km/h.

Also, the 1953 ‘West Coast of Joseon Hydrography’ produced by the Japan Maritime Safety Agency indicates a sandbank about 280 to 740 meters wide and 10 km long extending south-southeast from 2.5 km east of Baengnyeongdo. Large underwater sandbanks and reefs are fatal hazards for ship navigation. Especially, most ocean-going vessels were sharp-bottomed (尖底船), which were much more dangerous than flat-bottomed ships.

The Baengnyeongdo and Jangsan Cape area is a place where wind direction, wind strength, and current direction frequently change drastically. Even today, navigation must be cautious when weather conditions are poor. In pre-modern times, without knowledge of underwater topography and under the influence of tides on the West Coast, humans were powerless against the unpredictable sea. Against this background, the legend of ‘Indangsu’ in Simcheongjeon settled in the Baengnyeongdo and Jangsan Cape area.

Lee Sang-hoon, Professor of Military History, Korea Military Academy