Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery

Background

Yanghwajin (楊花津) was the site of Yanghwa Ferry, a crossing on the Han River, and of the military garrison that guarded it. It adjoins the Jeoldusan Martyrs' Shrine, a Catholic site commemorating martyrs. In the 1880s Joseon concluded treaties of amity and commerce (agreements establishing friendly relations and trade) with several Western nations. As a result, foreign cemeteries were established at the treaty ports open to foreign shipping, but there was no place near Seoul where foreigners could be buried.

History

• 1890: John Heron, a medical missionary of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (Northern Presbyterian), had arrived in Joseon in June 1885 and served as director of Jejungwon, a Western-style hospital established by the Joseon government. He died of dysentery on July 26. Because it was midsummer, transporting his body to the foreign cemetery at Chemulpo was impractical. His family and fellow missionaries therefore requested a burial site near Seoul through the American minister, and after an exchange of communications with the Joseon government, Yanghwajin was designated. An earlier account held that Heron was temporarily buried within the American legation and reinterred in October of that year; recent research, however, concludes that he was buried at Yanghwajin from the outset, on July 28. In August the Joseon government paid for privately owned parcels within the cemetery grounds, and in accordance with the treaties, management was entrusted to an association of foreign residents (the Foreign Cemetery Association).
• 1893–1904: The British, American, Russian, German, and French ministers requested that a wall be built around the cemetery. In 1904 the American minister Horace Allen called for the cemetery to be enlarged and its access road improved.
• 1913: The land was entered in the land register of the Government-General of Korea as the property of the Keijō (Seoul) European and American Cemetery Association.
• 1985–1986: To mark the centennial of Protestant missions in Korea, the Korean Christian Centennial Memorial Foundation built a mission memorial hall within the cemetery. The following year the site was renamed Seoul Foreign Cemetery Park.
• 2005–2006: In July 2005 the foundation established the Korean Christian Mission Centennial Memorial Church, which uses the memorial hall as its sanctuary. In May 2006 the official name was changed to Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery.

Legacy and Influence

The cemetery covers 13,224 square meters. It is reported to contain the graves of 417 people from fifteen countries, though some sources give a figure of more than 500. Of these, about 140 are missionaries and members of their families. Those buried here include members of the families of Horace Underwood and Henry Appenzeller; Homer Hulbert; Robert Hardie, who led the Wonsan Revival; the family of the medical missionary Rosetta Hall; and two sons of William Baird. Many non-missionaries are also buried here, among them Ernest Bethell, publisher of the Korea Daily News (Daehan Maeil Sinbo); Charles LeGendre, who held high office in the Joseon government; Franz Eckert, composer of the national anthem of the Korean Empire; and Soda Kaichi, a Japanese man who cared for Korean orphans. The cemetery is now managed by the Centennial Memorial Church. Visitors can view missionaries' belongings in Yanghwajin Hall, the cemetery's exhibition space, and free guided tours are offered on weekdays.

Assessment

Korean Protestants regard the site as a foremost place for remembering the dedication of the early missionaries, and it has become a destination where churches of many denominations bring their members on visits. Lee Deok-ju, a scholar of Korean Christian history, explains that the missionaries of the time likened the cemetery to the cave of Machpelah, which Abraham purchased to bury his wife (Genesis 23:19–20). At the same time, because diplomats, journalists, and musicians are also buried here, the cemetery is also regarded as a site of memory for modern Korean history as a whole.