Jeongdong First Methodist Church

Full transcript

Annyeong, yeoreobun! Yul here, on Jeongdong-gil, the stone-wall road beside Deoksugung Palace. See that little red-brick church with the pointed windows? It's small, but it's packed with firsts.

Rewind to 1885. A young American Methodist missionary, Henry Appenzeller, arrives in Korea. At first, he can't preach in public. So on October 11, 1885, he holds a worship service in his own home here in Jeongdong, and the church still counts that day as its birthday.

In 1887, he buys a small hanok and names it Bethel Chapel. But the congregation keeps growing, so they build this brick church. It was dedicated on December 26, 1897, and today it's the oldest surviving Protestant church building in Korea. Daebak!

Now my favorite twist. In 1918, the church installed Korea's first pipe organ, paid for with donations from Koreans in America, collected by the educator Kim Ransa. And during the independence movement of 1919, the organ's wind box, the space behind the pipes, is said to have been used to secretly copy independence documents. Music in front, resistance in the back!

Appenzeller himself died in a shipwreck in 1902. His body was never found, so a memorial stone at Yanghwajin keeps his name.

Yul's tip! This is still a living church. If a service is on, enter quietly or just admire it from outside. From City Hall Station Exit 1 or 12, stroll along the palace stone wall.

Next, let's visit a temple whose main hall hides a surprising secret. Kaja!