Monument to Master Go Gyeong-myeong

Master Go Gyeong-myeong (1533–1592) was a civil official of the mid-Joseon period. In 1592 (the 25th year of King Seonjo's reign), upon hearing the news that Seoul had fallen and the king had fled to Uiju during the Japanese invasion, he raised a righteous army of over 6,000 men in his hometown of Jangheung and was appointed as its leader. After obtaining intelligence that the Japanese forces occupying Geumsan were planning to pass through Jeonju and attack the Honam region, he sent a letter to Jo Heon, the commander of the Chungcheong righteous army, proposing that they cross the Hyang River together to attack the Japanese in Geumsan. When they reached Jinsan, they encountered Japanese troops advancing toward Jeonju and fought bravely. Realizing their disadvantage, the enemy slowly retreated back to Geumsanseong Fortress. Upon arriving in Geumsan, he joined forces with Defense Commander Gwak Yeong to attack the Japanese, but they were surrounded by the enemy in a snowy field, and he died in battle along with all his soldiers. Mourning his death, King Seonjo ordered shrines to be established in his honor at Pyochungsa in Gwangju and Jungyongsa in Geumsan to commemorate his loyalty. In the 7th year of King Hyojong's reign, Geumsan County Magistrate Yeo Pil-gwan composed the epitaph, and a monument was erected on the opposite hillside after his death, but it was destroyed by the atrocities of the Japanese police. Later, the fragments of the monument were gathered and stored inside a pavilion, and descendants re-engraved Yeo Pil-gwan's epitaph to restore it, also constructing a stone pavilion. The site of the martyrdom monument is on the opposite hillside from where he died. Nearby tourist attractions include Geumseongsan Mountain and Chilbaekuichong (the Tomb of the Seven Hundred Righteous Army). Address: Yangjeon-ri, Geumseong-myeon, Geumsan-gun, Chungcheongnam-do