By Honorary Reporter Martina Marrandino from Italy
Photos = Martina Marrandino

With 19 fellow Honorary Reporters on June 9, I went a one-day Korean Cultural Heritage FAM (Familiarization) Tour to promote outstanding heritage in Korea spanning Seoul and the Ilsandong-gu District of Goyang, Gyeonggi-do Province. We went on guided excursions to cultural sites and took part in activities to experience Korean culture firsthand.

The first stop was Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery in Seoul, where 417 people were buried including many from abroad who sought to evangelize Koreans and modernize the country during the Joseon Dynasty and Japanese colonial periods. 

Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery is the burial place of hundreds of foreign missionaries who served in Korea.

Among the many moving stories of those buried at the cemetery, the one that moved me most was that of Ruby Rachel Kendrick, an American service missionary in Korea in the early 1900s. Her epitaph read, "If I had 1,000 lives to give, Korea should have them all." She died in 1908 of appendicitis at age 25 in Seoul less than a year after arriving in Korea. 

As an expat in Korea, I could emotionally relate to the stories of the souls in this cemetery, who loved Korea so much that they wanted to be buried in Korean soil. 

On the other side of the cemetery is Jeoldusan Martyrs' Shrine. Designated National Historical Site No. 399, the Catholic shrine was the second stop of the tour and honors the 8,000 Korean Catholics and nine French priests who were beheaded on this cliff during the Byeongin Persecution of 1866. As a Catholic, I was deeply moved by this sacred site given its holiness and historical significance. I paid my respects and prayed for the martyrs who gave their lives for their religious beliefs.

Before moving to Goyang, we went on a boat ride on the Hangang River. The views were great and the guide told the group of the river's history and destinations previously visited. We also colored hand fans inscribed with a map of the river and nearby landmarks.

The tour group went on a ride on the Hangang River and and colored hand fans. 

In Goyang, we visited Bamgasi Thatched Cottage in Ilsan, which was made from chestnut wood. Designated Folklore Cultural Heritage No. 8 by the Cultural Heritage Administration, the home was built in the 19th century and housed a middle-class family. The village where it is located is well-known for its chestnut trees, and thus the house got its name from chestnut wood. 

We spent the afternoon in the yard next to the house playing traditional Korean games, wearing traditional straw sandals and creating a knot necklace resembling the home's roof. 

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.