This Missionary Memorial Monument was erected to commemorate the first worship by American South Presbyterian missionary Pae Yu-ji, held in Gwangju Gwangyeoksi. Near the Gwangju City Sajik Library by the roadside where the monument stands, there was said to be a building used as a Protestant worship place. The monument bears only the five characters 'Missionary Memorial Monument,' but a separate stone on the pedestal inscribed in Korean and English reads: 'This place was sent by God. On December 25, 1904, American South Presbyterian missionary Pastor Pae Yu-ji held the first worship in Gwangju. To honor that sacred intention forever, this stone monument was erected here. December 6, 1982, respectfully erected by the Jeonnam Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Korea.' The first worship led by missionary Pae Yu-ji was said to have taken place later at the temporary residence of Jejungwon missionaries. At that time in 1982, the location where the monument stood was believed to be the site of the worship. Subsequently, through related literature, the exact site of Jejungwon was confirmed within the current Gwangju Christian Hospital, where a new memorial monument was erected to honor this.
Yangnim Historical and Cultural Village marks the starting point of Gwangju's history as the first gateway for Western modern civilization over 100 years ago and holds a community history of sacrifice and sharing. It is a cultural resource hub where visitors can explore modern cultural heritage in Yangnim-dong. The village is a space where Western-style modern architecture and traditional Hanok houses harmonize, including the residence of missionary U Il-seon, who advanced Gwangju's medical care and education; the Lee Jang-woo House, exemplifying Joseon upper-class architecture; the Jo Ara Memorial Hall honoring Jo Ara, a mother of democratization who dedicated herself to helping the needy; the Aberson Memorial Hall for the rural leader who strived to revive agriculture; the Owen Memorial Hall for the missionary who was martyred while working in Gwangju; Jeong Yul-seong Street, where achievements and music of Jeong Yul-seong are celebrated; and Penguin Village, where residents and artists transform waste materials into artworks. These embody a coexistence of modern and contemporary charm.
Yangnim-dong Penguin Village Craft Street is located behind the Yangnim-dong Community Center, following penguin-shaped signposts through narrow alleys into a village transformed into a 1970s and 1980s exhibition space. The village was named because elderly residents with knee problems waddled like penguins. Villagers cleaned up empty houses left abandoned after a fire and started displaying discarded items on the neighborhood walls, which bear the inscription, "Let us be thankful to be alive in those days." It also holds historical and cultural sites such as the Choi Seunghyo House, Wuilsa Missionary Residence, and Owen Memorial Hall. In the village center, the Penguin Joomak (pub) serves as a community gathering place, small but stocked with all necessary items. Various workshops including leather, textile, and woodworking studios are located in the craft street, where visitors can buy beautiful crafts or experience retro-style upcycling crafting that blends modern and traditional elements.
On the hillside within Honam Theological University in Yangnim-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju, there is a missionaries' cemetery. The cemetery, featuring gravestones of various exotic styles and angular burial mounds, contains the graves of American Southern Presbyterian missionaries and their families who were active in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do and died between 1909 and 1967. Yangnim-dong Missionaries' Cemetery is the resting place of 23 missionaries who first spread Christianity in Gwangju and laid the foundation for the new wave of enlightenment and national salvation movements. Yangnim-dong, Gwangju, was the main mission site of Pastor Bae Yu-ji, the first missionary in Jeollanam-do, and Clement Owen. As part of his missionary work, Pastor Bae Yu-ji established the Soopia Girls’ School, and Clement Owen dedicated himself to missionary and medical volunteer work alongside his nurse wife. Currently, Gwangju features cultural assets including a missionary monument commemorating Pastor Bae Yu-ji and the Owen Memorial Hall built to honor Clement Owen and his grandfather. The missionaries divided roles according to gospel, medical, educational, children’s, and women’s ministries and established interconnected local churches, schools, and hospitals. Through this, they spread the Christian gospel in the Gwangju area, introduced Western modern culture, and fostered local talent.
The Yangnim-dong Missionary Cemetery is the final resting place of 23 missionaries who brought Christianity to Gwangju and led the movement to free the nation from under Japanese colonial rule. Yangnim-dong in Gwangju Metropolitan City was the main area in which Priest Bae Yu-ji and Dr. Clement Owen carried out their work as the first missionaries to Jeollanam-do.
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As part of his outreach, Priest Bae Yu-ji established the Jennie Speer Memorial School for Girls. Dr. Owen dedicated himself to serving the church and providing medical care along with his wife, who was a nurse.
Located nearby is a monument dedicated to Priest Bae Yu-ji and the Owen Memorial Building, built in honor of Dr. Owen and his grandfather. Both memorials are cultural assets and particularly prized by locals of the Christian faith.
Ijangu House is a modern hanok consisting of an inner quarters, sarangchae, haengnangchae, storage building, and gatehouse on a land of about 500 pyeong. It is a high-class gabled tile-roof house built by Jeong Byeong-ho, son of Jeong Nak-kyo, a wealthy figure in the Gwangju area, who constructed the inner quarters in 1899 and the gatehouse in 1935. Dr. Donggang I Jang-woo, founder of Dongshin University and Dongshin Middle and High Schools, purchased it in 1959 and completed the sarangchae, haengnangchae, and storage building, establishing the current form. The inner quarters' ridge beam records ‘Gwangmu Year 3, Eulhae, February 10th, chuksi (光武三年乙亥二月十日丑時),’ indicating construction in 1899 during modernization. The inner quarters measure 120.12㎡ (about 36 pyeong) with a unique structure including a porch, small room, large hall, main room, kitchen, and a small room bent in a 'ㄱ' shape. Unlike southern houses with a 'ㅡ' layout, this 'ㄱ' shape reflects modern hanok traits facilitating women's activities and family space, leading to its designation as Gwangju Folk Cultural Property in 1989. The storage building was once destroyed by fire and restored in 2009. The yard originally had a Japanese-style garden, which was redesigned as a Korean-style garden for the 2009 Gwangju Design Biennale special exhibition. Ijangu House is a well-preserved valuable cultural heritage showing early modern traditional upper-class housing. ◎ Travel information to experience the charm of the Korean Wave - This was featured in the film , appearing as the hometown of Hyeonjun (played by Song Sae-byeok), a native of Jeolla Province. The preserved hanok and Korean-style garden harmonize to showcase the beauty of modern housing.
