We have moved very far south, and is today exploring the Jinjuseong Fortress. It’s a fortress that holds a significant part of Korean history.

The Jinjuseong Fortress, which is historically linked to the Japanese invasion in 1592, is from the Joseon Dynasty period. As a fortress to safeguard from the Japanese attacks, it blocked the Japanese from advancing further north during Joseon Seonjo King’s reign (1592). Within the fortress lies several shrines, a memorial, a pavillion and the Jinju National Museum.

A small monument on the ground next to the beautiful pavillion is dedicated to Nongae, a gisaeng (female Korean ‘entertainer’ similar to a Japanese geisha). During the Japanese invasion, the town was under siege by the oncoming Japanese forces. Nongae managed to seduce / embrace a Japanese commander and threw the both of them off the rock into the river below. Her suicide / patriotic death was commemorated with this monument and a place in the official history books.