Korean History › Late Joseon › Manchu invasions of Korea
Siege of Namhansanseong
Jan 9 – Feb 24, 1637 (lunar 12th month 1636 – 1st month 1637)· Battle· Wars & invasions
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
King Injo's 47-day stand in a mountain fortress south of Seoul, ending with his surrender to the Qing emperor Hong Taiji in 1637.
See it on the Korean History map →What happened
In winter 1636–37 a Qing army under Hong Taiji, about 120,000 strong by common estimates, reached Seoul within days. Cut off from Ganghwa Island, King Injo took refuge in Namhansanseong (남한산성) with about 13,000 troops and food for some 50 days. Inside, officials split between fighting on (Kim Sang-heon) and negotiating (Choe Myeong-gil). When Ganghwa fell and relief armies failed, Injo walked out and bowed nine times before Hong Taiji at Samjeondo on the Han River.
Why it matters
It forced Joseon to drop the Ming and become a Qing tributary, with princes taken hostage, a humiliation that shaped Joseon politics and pride for 250 years.
How we know
The Annals of King Injo, the anonymous Hangul diary Sanseong ilgi, the Samjeondo stele (1639) the Qing made Joseon erect, and the fortress itself, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014.
Still debated
Whether holding out longer or surrendering sooner was wiser is still argued, and the number of Koreans carried off as captives is unknown; estimates vary widely.
Connections (2)
▸Siege of Namhansanseong ended Manchu invasions of KoreaWell documented
The connection
The second Manchu invasion (1636–37) ended when King Injo, besieged in Namhansanseong for 47 days, surrendered at Samjeondo. The terms ended Joseon's loyalty to the Ming: tribute to the Qing, Crown Prince Sohyeon and Prince Bongnim sent as hostages, and Korean troops for Qing campaigns.
When and how
Samjeondo, on the Han River in today's Songpa district of Seoul, February 24, 1637; King Injo and Hong Taiji.
How we know
The Annals of King Injo, Qing records, and the Samjeondo victory stele of 1639, which still stands in Seoul.
Debates and open questions
How many captives were taken north is unknown; estimates range from tens of thousands to far more, and many who returned faced stigma.
▸Siege of Namhansanseong ended in the Samjeondo surrender of JoseonWell documented
The connection
King Injo held out in Namhansanseong fortress, southeast of Seoul, for 47 days in bitter winter. With food running out and Ganghwa Island, where the royal family sheltered, taken, he surrendered. At Samjeondo on the Han River he bowed three times and touched his head to the ground nine times before Hong Taiji.
When and how
February 24, 1637, at Samjeondo, today's Songpa district in Seoul; King Injo and Hong Taiji of Qing.
How we know
The Annals of King Injo and diaries kept in the fortress; the Qing-ordered Samjeondo stele, carved in Manchu, Mongolian and Chinese, still stands.
Debates and open questions
Whether to fight on or surrender split the court, with Kim Sang-heon urging resistance and Choe Myeong-gil urging peace talks; Koreans still argue who was right.