Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery

Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery is the final resting place for Korea's western residents, including Dr. Horace Allen, the first director of Gwanghyewon, the first western-style hospital in Korea, founded in 1885. The cemetery is known as Foreign Missionary Cemetery because of the number of foreign missionaries buried here. Tombs and headstones were built in a western style creating an exotic atmosphere. The cemetery is located near the Hangang (River), an ideal spot for taking a pleasant stroll.

Yanghwajin Foreigners' Cemetery is situated on the other side of Yanghwajin, opposite the martyrs’ shrine. It is regarded as a Protestant shrine because many Protestant missionaries are buried there.  The “100th Anniversary Memorial Church” was established in Yanhwajin by the “Council for the 100th Anniversary of the Korean Church” to commemorate a century of missionary work in Korea. 

Many of the foreigners who have contributed to the story of modern Korean history are buried in the Yanghwajin cemetery, such as Thomas Bethell, the founder of Daehan Maeil Sinbo (Newspaper); Mary Scranton, the founder of Ewha Hakdang (a mission school for girls, now Ewha Womans University); and Henry Appenzeller, the founder of Chungdong First Methodist Church.

A guided tour in English or Japanese is available in Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery when booked in advance. These are conducted four times a day (10:00, 11:30, 14:00, 15:30) except during the New Year's holiday, Chuseok holiday and on Christmas day. 

Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery is located in Hapjeong-dong, Mapo-gu. It is a haven for foreign missionaries and their families who loved, and wished to lie in, Korea. The cemetery is managed by 100th Anniversary Memorial Church and contains Mission Memorial Hall.