Anglican Church of Ganghwa

Full transcript

Annyeong, yeoreobun! It's Yul from KVIBE IDOLS. Quick quiz: is this building a palace, a Buddhist temple, or a church? Tiled roof, wooden pillars, a big signboard in Chinese characters... Answer: it's a church! Welcome to the Anglican Church of Ganghwa.

Our story starts in 1893, when the Joseon court opened a naval academy here on Ganghwa Island with British instructors. Anglican missionaries came too. And one priest, Mark Napier Trollope, had a very bold idea: let's not build a European church. Let's build a Korean one.

So he went shopping. Big shopping. He traveled as far as the Yalu River to buy red pine timber from the Baekdusan region. And the chief carpenter? The master who had rebuilt Gyeongbokgung Palace! In November 1900, the church was consecrated by Bishop Charles John Corfe. Today, it's a national Historic Site of Korea.

Here's the twist. Look at the layout from above: outer gate, inner gate, main hall, all in a line on the hill, like a ship. Many people see it as Noah's ark, sailing over Ganghwa. Outside, it looks like a hanok. Inside? A Western basilica, with a tall nave and columns. East and West in one building. Daebak!

Yul's tip! This is a working church, so keep your voice low, and if a service is going on, stay quiet or visit later. Don't miss the bell in the inner gate: it looks like a temple bell, but with a cross on it.

Next, let's head south to a red-brick cathedral built on a place of great sadness. Kaja!