진해군항제

The tradition & historical record

The Jinhae Gunhangje Festival (Korean: 진해군항제), also called Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival, is a cherry blossom festival held in Jinhae District, Changwon, South Korea. It began in 1963 and is held annually in early April (for about 10 days from April 1st). It is also called Beotkkotjang (Cherry Blossom Market) because markets similar to five-day markets are formed on roads with cherry blossom trees. In 1952, during the height of the Korean War, the first statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin in Korea was erected at Bugwon Rotary and a memorial service was held, which became the beginning. Hosted by Jinhae City (currently hosted by Changwon City) and organized by the Yi Sun-sin Patriotic Spirit Promotion Association, various events are held in Jinhae City (currently Jinhae-gu) including Jungwon Rotary. ¹

The Jinhae Gunhangje Festival began in 1963, prompted by the erection of Korea's first statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin at Bugwon Rotary on April 13, 1952, and the subsequent memorial services held there. In the early days, the festival consisted entirely of holding a ritual at Bugwon Rotary where the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin stands. However, as the scale and content of the event grew and developed year after year, the Yi Sun-sin Patriotic Spirit Promotion Association was launched as an incorporated association in 1983 and has been organizing the Gunhangje events to this day. The Jinhae Gunhangje Festival has developed into a spring festival where visitors can enjoy cultural and artistic events, viewing events, and the Paldo (Eight Provinces) Folk Market alongside the beautiful cherry blossoms, while preserving its original purpose of honoring Admiral Yi's noble spirit of saving the country and promoting local culture and arts. However, in 2010, the event was significantly scaled down due to the sinking of the ROKS Cheonan. Major events, including the opening ceremony and the festival night, were completely canceled, and only exhibitions, including the Admiral Yi Sun-sin Victory March and the Admiral Yi Sun-sin Memorial Grand Ritual, were operated. The 49th Jinhae Gunhangje Festival in 2011 Until 2010, the event was held from late March to early April to match the annual cherry blossom blooming season; however, Changwon City fixed the dates of the festival from April 1 to April 10 starting in 2011. ¹

The reason Jinhae has so many cherry blossoms was traditionally believed to be that they were planted for urban beautification when Jinhae was developed as a naval port during the Japanese colonial period. Because of this, after liberation, citizens began to indiscriminately chop down the trees, believing that cherry blossoms were the national flower of Japan. However, in 1962, botanists Park Man-kyu and Bu Jong-hyu revealed that the cherry trees in Jinhae were not the King Cherry tree (Prunus × yedoensis) native to Japan, but rather the Jeju King Cherry tree (Prunus × nudiflora), which helped the trees survive to this day through a cherry tree saving movement. Every spring, a total of 347,000 Jeju King Cherry trees, including those on street roads, parks, and mountainous areas, come into full bloom in Jinhae. ¹

Korea Naval Academy and the Naval Base Command are military facilities that are normally restricted from public access, but on-site viewing is permitted during the Gunhangje Festival period. In addition, the parking lots of the Naval Education and Training Command and the Jinhae Base Command (Old Overhaul District) are opened to accommodate a total of 1,450 vehicles. ¹

During the Gunhangje Festival period, the Korea Naval Academy opens its parade ground, museum, Turtle Ship, and the Naval Academy Peninsula. A sea photo exhibition is held in front of the statue of Sohn Won-yil. In front of the Turtle Ship, a photo zone is operated where visitors can take photos wearing Joseon Dynasty military officer uniforms and naval cadet uniforms. On weekdays, it is open from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and admission closes at 3:30 PM. On holidays, it is open from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Admission by foot closes at 3:30 PM, and admission by vehicle closes at 4:00 PM. Entry is possible either by vehicle or on foot, but on weekdays, entry is only permitted via vehicle. A paid shuttle bus also operates from Namwon Rotary to the Naval Academy (2,000 KRW per person). ¹

During the Gunhangje Festival, military police parade units perform at scheduled times each day, and naval promotional events such as warship open houses and military uniform experience programs are held. Visitors may enter the Commander, Jinhae Naval Base by vehicle or on foot, although parking, stopping, and passenger drop-off are prohibited. The base opens at 8:30 a.m. and remains open until 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and 5:00 p.m. on weekends. Admission closes 30 minutes before closing time. For walking tours (3.5 km, approximately 30–40 minutes), the route runs from Gate 1 to the statue of the late Admiral Sohn Won-yil, the statue of the late Chief Petty Officer Ji Deok-chil, and the entrance to Haeansa Temple, which serves as the turnaround point. Shuttle buses operate within the base. A driving tour (3.8 km, approximately 20 minutes) follows a route from Gate 1 to the statue of Admiral Son Won-yil, the combat swimming pool, Fleet Command, the logistics supply depot, Officers' Pier, the Logistics Command Main Gate, the naval hospital, and back to Gate 1. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Jinhae Gunhangje Festival”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Jinhae Gunhangje Festival is annual festival in Changwon, South Korea, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 2 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. ²