The Strange Flying Phenomenon Recorded in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty: Was it Simply a Natural Occurrence?
- Historical background of the Gwanghaegun era in 1609 and the importance of records
- UFO sightings reported simultaneously in five regions of Gangwon Province
- Scientific hypotheses (bolides) and the core mysteries that cannot be explained by them
1609: ‘It’ Appeared in the Sky of an Unsettled Era
The story begins at the end of September 1609, in the tension-filled palace of Hanyang. An urgent report submitted by the governor of Gangwon Province, Lee Hyung-wook, opens the curtain on the Gwanghaegun UFO records. At that time, Gwanghaegun was leading a nation still healing from the wounds of the Imjin War, facing threats from the north and challenges to his legitimacy during a precarious period.
In the Confucian state of Joseon, celestial phenomena were directly linked to the evaluation of the ruler. Due to the belief in ‘heavenly-human response’ (天人感應), anomalies such as solar eclipses or comets, referred to as ‘disasters’ (災異), were considered significant matters directly related to the nation’s safety.
This belief paradoxically served as a driving force for maintaining very objective records. Distorting a heavenly warning was seen as disloyalty. Governor Lee Hyung-wook only submitted his report after cross-verifying the bizarre phenomenon reported simultaneously in five districts over a month. Thanks to this caution, fragmented eyewitness accounts were elevated to an official ‘incident’, allowing them to be vividly transmitted to us even 400 years later.
Strange Phenomena in the Skies of Gangwon Province: UFO Sightings from Five Locations
On August 25, 1609, the phenomena observed in various regions of Gangwon Province unfolded like a bizarre symphony, growing stranger with the passage of time.
Movement 1: Thunder and Red Cloth (Ganseong, Wonju)
Between 9 AM and 11 AM, in Ganseong-gun (now Goseong-gun), two streams of smoke-like energy appeared with a thunderous sound in the clear sky, moving and then stopping, followed by a sound resembling a northern drum. At the same time, in Wonju-mok (now Wonju-si), a long red cloth-like object flowed northward, accompanied by a loud booming sound.
Movement 2: Burning Bottle and Arrow (Gangneung, Chuncheon)
As time passed, the phenomena became even more dramatic. In Gangneung-bu (now Gangneung-si), a red object shaped like a ’large bottle’ descended as if coming down to the ground, stretching to a length of 9 to 12 meters, leaving a white trail behind. In Chuncheon-bu (now Chuncheon-si), a fiery mass resembling a ’large basin’ flew northward like an arrow, leaving a blue-white smoke that lingered like a snake.
The Gwanghaegun UFO from a Scientific Perspective: The Prime Suspect ‘Bolide’
Based on the records so far, modern science identifies ‘bolides’ as the prime suspect. A bolide is a much larger and brighter meteor than a typical shooting star, shining brightly enough to be observed even during the day and accompanied by a tremendous sound (sonic boom) upon entering the atmosphere. The 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor event in Russia is a representative example.
The table below compares the eyewitness accounts from the five regions in Gangwon Province that day. Unlike the records from the first four regions, the last record from Yangyang clearly reveals how unique and distinct it is.
| Region | Time | Shape | Sound | Uniqueness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ganseong | 09-11 AM | Sun halo, smoke | Northern drum sound | Moved and stopped |
| Wonju | 09-11 AM | Long red cloth | Loud thunder | Moved northward |
| Gangneung | 09-11 AM | Large bottle | Loud thunder | Size 9-12m, white tail |
| Chuncheon | 11 AM-1 PM | Large basin | Thunderous northern sound | Fast speed, smoke tail |
| Yangyang | 1-3 PM | Basin | Northern drum sound | Descended, hovered, rotated, separated |
The Core of the Mystery: The Close Encounter UFO Incident in Yangyang
The record from Yangyang is more akin to a close encounter that occurred right before the eyes rather than a phenomenon in the sky. Between 1 PM and 3 PM, this event took place in the yard of former official Kim Mun-wi’s house, rendering all scientific explanations powerless.
The Glowing Basin Descending into the Yard
A ‘glowing object shaped like a basin’ (如盤而光) descended from the sky and hovered about 3 meters above the ground. The annals record that “it seemed as if some energy was lifting it in the air,” suggesting controlled movement rather than a simple fall, implying hovering. This single sentence poses a serious challenge to the bolide hypothesis.
Rotation, Ascension, and Separation
The object emitted a variety of colors: white on the eastern side, bright blue in the center, and red on the western side, rotating in place. It then ascended again, its entire body turning a bright red, and silently split into two pieces in the middle of the sky. One piece vanished like smoke, while the other transformed into a white cloud with a northern drum sound before disappearing, marking the end of the record.
This incident may represent two different events: the massive bolide phenomenon observed in most of Gangwon Province (Mystery A) and the inexplicable phenomenon that occurred in Yangyang while everyone was looking at the sky (Mystery B).
Is the Bolide Hypothesis the Answer? (Debate)
Can this 400-year-old cold case file truly be concluded with the bolide hypothesis?
- Evidence Supporting the Bolide Hypothesis (Pro)
- Appearance and Sound: The descriptions of light, red color, smoke tail, and thunderous sounds from the four regions align with typical characteristics of a bolide.
- Separation Phenomenon: The object splitting into two pieces in Yangyang can be explained as a meteorite breaking apart due to atmospheric pressure.
- Simultaneous Sounds: The description of light and sound being observed simultaneously may represent a rare phenomenon known as ’electrophonic sound’.
- Limitations of the Bolide Hypothesis (Con)
- Observation Time: Bolide phenomena typically last only a few seconds, but this incident was observed over approximately six hours from 9 AM to 3 PM.
- Yangyang’s Movement: This is the decisive counter-evidence. The movement of an object that should fall due to gravity, hovering in the yard and rotating before ascending again, violates the laws of physics.
- Inconsistencies in Records: If the story were fabricated, it would have been more coherent. The varied descriptions such as ‘sun halo’, ‘cloth’, ‘bottle’, ‘basin’, and ‘basin’ strongly indicate that they are raw eyewitness accounts rather than a made-up story.
Conclusion: A 400-Year-Old Question and the Greatness of Records
In conclusion, the Gwanghaegun UFO case file remains ‘unsolved’. Science has been able to piece together some parts of the puzzle (Mystery A), but it is powerless in the face of the key piece represented by the close encounter in Yangyang (Mystery B).
The final key to solving this mystery may lie in the extraordinary nature of ordinary words. The level of astronomy in Joseon was considerable. There was an official term, ‘Yeongduseong’ (孛星), referring to bright meteors visible during the day. However, the officials used familiar everyday terms like ‘bottle’, ‘basin’, and ‘basin’ instead of known terms. This strongly testifies that the phenomena they encountered were something they had never seen before, which could not be classified within their existing knowledge system.
The true heroes of this story are not the unidentified flying objects but the unnamed officials and historians of Joseon who, in the face of incomprehensible phenomena, recorded what they saw honestly without creating myths or legends. Thanks to their intellectual integrity, we have one of the most detailed reports of an unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) in history.
- Key Summary
- Detailed Official Records: In 1609 during the Gwanghaegun era, flying phenomena observed in five regions of Gangwon Province were officially recorded in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty.
- Limitations of Scientific Explanations: The ‘bolide’ hypothesis explains some phenomena but fails to account for the six-hour observation time and the strange low-altitude flight in Yangyang.
- Close Encounter in Yangyang: Particularly, the records of descent, hovering, rotation, and separation reported in Yangyang elevated the incident to a global UFO mystery.
This record poses an eternal question that transcends 400 years instead of providing answers. What other historical mysteries do you know? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
References
- Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Gwanghaegun Diary National Institute of Korean History
- Investigation of UFO Records in the Joseon Era Korea UFO Investigation and Analysis Center