Gwangju is a region where various independence movements unfolded, starting with the Gwangju Student Movement during the Japanese colonial period. It was natural for the March 1st Independence Movement to take place in this region. The Gwangju 3.1 Independence Movement Monument was created to commemorate the March 1st Movement in the Gwangju area and to honor the spirit of those times. Measuring 4㎡ in area and 7m in length, it depicts female students holding Taegukgi flags and shouting independence slogans during the March 1st Movement. Built on May 10, 1995, the monument is located inside the back gate of Gwangju Sophia Girls’ High School. The front side is inscribed with ‘Gwangju 3.1 Independence Movement Commemoration,’ and the back side bears the names of Sophia Girls’ High School students who led the Gwangju 3.1 Movement on March 10, 1919, and endured imprisonment for it, as a way to honor them. The monument lists 23 names including Park Sunae, Lee Taeok, Kim Yangsun, Yoon Hyeolnyeo, Kim Deoksun, Jo Okhee, Lee Geumbong, Ha Youngja, Kang Hwaseon, Lee Rahyeol, Choi Suhyang, Kim Mansun, and Hong Soonhae. On the side is a memorial poem titled ‘Become a Star of History’: ‘Whose name has anyone left behind for eternity? Standing at the forefront of the 1919 March 1st Movement, pledging loyalty with the will to save the nation, placing the Taegukgi before us and shouting independence. When the nation was invaded by Japan’s guns and swords, choosing to fight risking life to break the chains rather than live without freedom. Even after enduring cruel torture, the noble spirit of patriotism who overcame it shines as a star of history forever.’
Yangnim-dong is the area where two Southern Presbyterian missionaries, Bae Yuji and Owen, moved from Mokpo to Gwangju in 1899 and began their evangelism. The hornbeam trees that have grown since then are currently protected by iron fences. Yangnim-dong Hornbeam Tree Road features various cultural spaces and tourist attractions such as old missionary residences, the Art Polygon, and the Hornbeam Creative Studio. The hornbeam is an evergreen broadleaf tree mainly native to the southern coast of Jeollanam-do and the western coast of Jeju. Its northern boundary is the Byeonsan Peninsula, and while it is also found in China, it is particularly known as a tree of Gwangju and Jeollanam-do. The leaves are thick, leathery, glossy, and have five thorn-shaped serrations at the tips. The white flowers gather in leaf axils in summer, and the drupes ripen red in autumn; in winter, they display a reddish color even in the snow, making them well suited as ornamental trees. The hornbeam in Yangnim-dong is about 6 meters tall, with a trunk circumference of 115 cm near the base, making it a rare large specimen for this species. The canopy width measures 7 meters north-south and 5 meters east-west, branching into two trunks at chest height.
The Owen Monument and Memorial Hall is located inside the Christian College of Nursing. The monument was erected in 1914 in memory of missionary Clement Owen who, together with Priest Bae Yoo-ji, was the first missionary to come to Jeollanam-do. The monument was built using the 4,200 dollars collected by Owen’s relatives in the USA after Owen died as a martyr in Gwangju.
Clement Owen came to Yangnim-dong, Gwangju in the 1900s and served as a missionary and medical volunteer with his wife, who was a nurse, before dying of exhaustion and overwork in 1909. Owen had hoped to build a memorial hospital in honor of his grandfather, but died before his plan was materialized. The plaque hanging in the hall honors both men in English and Chinese, reading, “In Memory of William L. and Clement C. Owen.”
A Western-style building with a total footage of around 1,435 meters squared (including the annex building), the monument is said to have been used as chapel and assembly room. Today, the building serves as the auditorium of the Christian College of Nursing. The white, two-story building features a lectern in one corner, with two columns of pews facing the lectern. The second floor balcony stretches along the two walls opposite the lectern.
◎ Travel information to meet Hallyu’s charm – movie “Love, Lies,”
In the film, So-yul and Yeon-hee come here to see the renowned singer Lee Nan-young perform. Owen Memorial Hall has a history as a venue for Christian gatherings, lectures, concerts, graduation ceremonies, and various cultural events in the region. Today, it continues to serve as a space for both religious and cultural gatherings.
Located within Christ Nursing University, Owen Memorial Hall was built in 1914 with funds of 4,200 dollars sent by American relatives to commemorate Missionary Owen, who came to Jeonnam as the first missionary with Pastor Bae Yuji and was martyred in Gwangju. The Western-style house has a total floor area of 434 square meters (including annex buildings). Judging by its layout, it is presumed to have been used as a chapel and assembly hall, but it is now used as an auditorium for Christ Nursing University. Owen was one of the foreigners living in Yangnim-dong's Western village in Gwangju in the 1900s and, along with his nurse wife, devoted himself to missionary and medical service activities until he died from overwork in 1909. Before his death, Owen planned to build a memorial hall for his grandfather because he prioritized missionary work over building a hospital commemorating his grandfather; the memorial hall bears his grandfather’s name for this reason. The two-story gray brick building has a square floor plan with a pulpit located diagonally at the corner, forming a symmetrical layout. The main entrances are on the north and west sides, shaped identically, with small secondary doors at the corners on the east and south sides. The first floor’s floor slopes toward the pulpit at about a 0.9/10 gradient, and the second floor balcony also slopes toward the pulpit at about a 1.2/10 grade. The walls use gray bricks (225mm length, 110mm width, 55mm thickness) laid in a Dutch bond pattern, with a thickness of 49cm built as cavity walls. The portion of the wall facing the ground is constructed of granite masonry. A brick belt course runs between the first and second floors, with attached columns of 2B thickness installed. All openings, doors, and windows use the same form of jack arches, with window sills made of granite. The front small clerestory window is supported by bricks laid as corbels. The entrances on both sides have semicircular arches using arch bricks, with granite keystones; the porch ceiling is finished with wooden boards. Notably, large circular cast iron pipes support the stone arch bases on the pillars. The roof structure is a Mansard truss supported by two internal columns; except for the chimney area, the roof is covered with sheet metal plates. The interior floorboards slope toward the pulpit, and the walls are finished with plaster. ◎ Travel information for experiencing the charm of Hallyu - This is the place where So-yul and Yeonhui went to see a performance by the famous singer Inanyo featured in the movie . In reality, the hall hosted various local cultural events such as Christian gatherings, lectures, concerts, and graduation ceremonies, and currently is used for religious and cultural events.
The Robert M. Willson Missionary Residence is said to have been built in the 1920s by American missionary Robert M. Willson, who served as the director of Jejungwon (now Gidok Hospital) and engaged in medical missionary work starting in 1908. It is the oldest Western-style house still standing in Gwangju. The interior has been renovated for use as the office of the Presbyterian Church of Korea and serves as a valuable resource for understanding the flow of modern Korean architecture. The building's floor plan is square; the first floor has a living room, family room, multipurpose room, kitchen, and bathroom, while the second floor contains bedrooms. The basement includes a storage room and boiler room. Its eastward orientation reflects traditional Korean directional beliefs. The facade measures 10.6m, with walls built in the Dutch style from 55mm-thick gray bricks. The interior is finished with plaster, and the gable is capped with stacked granite. All openings have semi-circular arches. The windows have ten-pane external sashes and double-hung sashes inside. To distinguish the first and second floors, brick cornices add variation to the exterior walls. ◎ Travel information to enjoy the charm of Korean Wave - This site was a space where Woo-jin (played by Lee Jong-suk) and Shim-deok (played by Shin Hye-sun) and their group rehearsed plays in the drama . The Western-style building creates an exotic atmosphere in harmony with the surrounding forest.
Missionary Wilson’s House is a two-story brick building that sits upon the eastern foothills of Yangnimsan Mountain. Known as the oldest surviving Western-style house in Gwangju, the house is an icon of modern culture and architecture in Korea. The house was built by an American missionary named Wilson in the 1920s (exact date unknown) and was the home of the Wilson family while they stayed in Korea. When the family completed their work in Korea, they sold the house for a very cheap price with the stipulation that the house continued to be used for missionary purposes. The house fell into the possession of the General Assembly of Chonnam Presbyterian Church of Korea in 1986 and now serves as the home office for the Presbyterian Church of Korea.
The square-shaped house consists of a living room, a family room, a kitchen, and a bathroom (1F), several bedrooms (2F), and storage areas and a boiler room (B1). The fact that the entrance of the house faces east is said to be a result of the prevailing architectural culture of Korea at that time. A Netherland-style house built with 55-milimeter thick, gray bricks, the first and second stories are delineated on the exterior with an eye-catching band of bricks.
◎ Travel information to meet Hallyu’s charm - TV series "Hymn of Death"
Here, Woo-jin (played by Lee Jong Suk), Sim-deok (played by Shin Hye-sun), and their troupe rehearsed for their play in "Hymn of Death." The Western-style building, framed by a lush forest backdrop, offers an exotic and picturesque setting.
