Hwangju

Hwangju stood on the route linking Pyeongan with the Korean heartland, giving the town a role in provincial government, military movements and diplomatic travel. In 1356, King Gongmin restored its status as Hwangju-mok during his campaign to reverse Yuan influence. The Joseon dynasty retained this administrative centre. After wartime disruption, the Hwanghae provincial military headquarters settled at Hwangju in 1601. The nearby Jeongbang mountain fortress was repaired after the Manchu invasion of 1627; troops commanded by Kim Ja-jeom were defeated there during the invasion of 1636. Government and war were only part of the town’s life. Envoys travelling between Korea and China frequently lodged here, and the Taehoru pavilion east of the guesthouse served diplomatic receptions. Hwangju thus joined a fertile agricultural district to one of the peninsula’s important overland corridors.