This article investigates the structural characteristics of the Han river pontoon bridge designed by Jeong Yagyong 丁若鏞 (1762-1836) and constructed in 1795, from a contemporary engineering perspective. To this end, this article thoroughly examines a set of focal texts concerning the construction of the pontoon bridge, including the Jugyo jeolmok 舟橋節目, Jugyojinam 舟橋之南, and Jugyo sagaejeong jeolmok 舟橋司改定節目. This analysis shows that the Han river pontoon bridge had the same structural characteristics as the modern girder bridge. The Han river pontoon bridge was designed to have a structure of multi-degree of freedom (ductile structure) so that it could resist complex stresses, by tying the beam with strings. The pier bridge was designed using the same mechanism as one that installed in the Gunsan Port during the Japanese colonial period.