Yeoju Iponaru

Iponaru is a ferry port from the Three Kingdoms period connecting Ipo-ri, Geumsa-myeon, Yeoju-si and Cheonseo-ri, Daesin-myeon. Along with Maponaru and Gwangnaru in Seoul and Joponaru in Yeoju, it was one of the four major ferries of the Joseon Dynasty. The ferry is famous for its beautiful view of Ipobo and Dangnam-ri Island. Iponaru was also called Baenaru, Baegaenaru, and Cheonyangnaru. Ipo (梨浦) is a Sino-Korean representation of 'Baegae,' meaning a place where boats dock, and Cheonyang is presumed to be a phonetic change of Cheollyeonghyeon, an old administrative district established in this area. As a transportation hub connecting Hanyang, Gangwon-do, and Chungcheong-do, Iponaru was a busy route where log rafts from Yeongwol and Jeongseon in Gangwon-do traveled to Seoul, along with barter boats carrying salt and exchanging it for beans or tobacco, sailboats, and Hwangpo sailboats serving as passenger ships. During the March 1st Independence Movement in 1919, about 3,000 people gathered here to shout for Korean independence. During the Japanese colonial period, a large gold mine in nearby Sangho-ri led to a thriving area with many inns and lodgings. In modern times, residents of the Ipo area, which had a population of over a thousand, used Iponaru to travel to Icheon and Seoul markets. After the Korean War, the ferry was so prosperous that it operated a large ferry capable of carrying buses. It was the last remaining ferry in the Yeoju area until the opening of Ipo Bridge in 1991, when it faded into history. With only traces remaining, a restoration project in 2009 erected a marker stone along the riverbank to indicate the old ferry site. Iponaru is also historically significant as the place where King Danjong, exiled to Yeongwol during the Joseon Dynasty, wept while longing for Hanyang. Additionally, in 1882 (the 19th year of King Gojong's reign), Empress Myeongseong fled the Imo Incident and stayed at Iponaru for three days, waiting to re-enter the capital, but ultimately failed and fled to Janghowon.