In 1653, a ship belonging to the Dutch East India Company wrecked near Jeju Island, stranding a crew that included Hendrick Hamel on Joseon soil. The castaways were subsequently held in Joseon custody and moved between several locations. During this time, they secretly attempted to contact a visiting Qing dynasty envoy in hopes of arranging repatriation to their homeland. When this attempt was discovered, the Joseon court found their continued presence to be a considerable diplomatic liability.
The court ultimately decided to send them as far south from Hanyang (present-day Seoul) as practically possible: to Gangjin. Hamel and his crew were held at Jeolla Byeongyeong Fortress from 1656 to 1663 — a full seven years. During this period, Hamel had the opportunity to closely observe Joseon customs and daily life, observations that later formed the basis of the book he wrote after returning to the Netherlands, known today as "Hamel's Journal." That book stands as the first detailed account to introduce the kingdom of Joseon to the Western world. Today, a memorial hall dedicated to Hamel stands across from the fortress, commemorating this history. A decision made to remove a diplomatic headache from view ended up, in the end, creating the very channel through which Joseon first became known to the wider world.