Jinnamgwan Hall () is a historical building in the

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

n city

Yeosu Yeosu, formerly romanized as Yosu, is a coastal city located on the southern shore of South Korea. With a population of 268,823, Yeosu is the second largest city in South Jeolla Province. In 1998, the Old Yeosu City, Yeocheon City and Yeocheon C ...

. The wooden structure consists of a roof, that is supported by 68 columns. It is decorated with carved lotus

bud In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or Plant embryogenesis, embryonic Shoot (botany), shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a Plant stem, stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormancy, dormant conditi ...

s, dragon heads, and Dancheong paintwork. Jinnamgwan Hall is long and tall. The original building, commissioned by Naval Commander

Yi Si-eon Yi or YI may refer to: Philosophic principle * Yi (philosophy) (义; 義, righteousness, justice) among the Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues Ethnic groups * Dongyi, the Eastern Yi, or Tung-yi (Chinese: , ''Yí''), ancient peo ...

, was completed in 1599 during the

Joseon dynasty Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

. It stood on the former site of ''Jinhaeru'', the naval base of

Jeolla Province Jeolla Province (, ) was one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Kingdom of Joseon in southwestern Korea. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and Gwangju Metropolitan City as well as J ...

. That naval base was the headquarters of Admiral

Yi Sun-sin Yi Sun-sin (; ; April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general known for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin War in the Joseon period. Yi's courtesy name was Yŏhae (여해), and he was po ...

during the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592 and burned down in 1597. Jinnamgwan Hall was used as a guest house ( gaeksa) for government officials. A fire destroyed the building in 1716, but it was rebuilt two years later by Admiral Yi Je-myeon. Jinnamgwan Hall was converted into an elementary school in 1911 during the Japanese rule over Korea, damaging the original structure. It was designated as a

National Treasure A national treasure is a structure, artifact, object or cultural work that is officially or popularly recognized as having particular value to the nation, or representing the ideals of the nation. The term has also been applied to individuals or ...

(no. 304) on April 17, 2001. Jinnamgwan Hall underwent a restoration starting in 2015.

References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures completed in 1599 Monuments and memorials in South Korea National Treasures of South Korea Rebuilt buildings and structures in South Korea Buildings and structures in Yeosu