Goseong

Goseong belonged to Korea's eastern coastal country, where the mountains of Gwandong stood close to the sea. Its administrative history was intertwined with neighbouring Ganseong, but the two names did not always describe the same jurisdiction. Under King Sejong, Goseong was raised from a hyeon to a gun, giving the locality a different rank within the Joseon provincial system.

In 1604 the court sent a military official to govern the county because of its proximity to the northern frontier. The appointment joined local administration to the state's concern with defence along the eastern approaches. Goseong's rank changed again in the seventeenth century: it was demoted in 1629 and restored in 1638. The region also contained Buddhist temples and coastal places celebrated within the Gwandong landscape. Warfare, including the Japanese invasions, damaged or dispersed religious buildings and objects. County government, military responsibility and an older religious landscape consequently overlapped within this eastern borderland.