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176 Jeolla-do Jeolla-do 177

161 Gangjin Eup Church 162 Seo Jae-pil Memorial Hall

12 Yeonji-gil, Gangjin-eup, Gangjin-gun http://www.gjechurch.com 8 Yongam-gil, Mundeok-myeon, Boseong-gun

Gangjin Eup Church was established in 1913 and a Korean
traditional house was built as a chapel at 207 Tap-dong in 1914. In
the early days, the two assistant, Jo Myeong-sun and Choi Bok-sam,
served the church. An assistant is a preacher these days. If the leader
of the church is an elder these days, an assistant refers to the person
that was in charge of the pulpit when there was no pastor.
Gangjin Eup Church actively participated in the independence
movement. 13 people including Lee Ki-sung were arrested during
the March 1st Movement. This spirit was inherited and the church
opposed to shrine worship. On August 6, 1950, Bae Young-seok,
who was the pastor in charge, was martyred. Gangjin-Eup Church
Independence Gate in Seo Jae-pil Memorial Hall
also took the lead in the democratization movement.

“The place where the soul of an independence fighter, Seo Jae-pil stays.”
In April 1919, 13 people including Lee Ki-sung were
st
arrested for the March 1 movement, and in 1940,
the church members were imprisoned for refusing shirine visit.
Boseong, Jeollanam-do, is the home town of Seo
Jae-pil (English name: Philip Jaisohn) ’s mother. He was
born here and lived until he was 6 years old. His
father’s hometown is Hwaseok village, Geumgok
1-ri, Yeongmu-eup, Nonsan-si, Chungcheongnam-
do. Seo Jae-pil defected to the United States in 1884
after the failure of the Gapsin Coup and became the
first doctor in U.S. as a Korean. Gaehwa Gate, the entrance
of shrine of Seo Jae-pil
After returning to Korea in 1896, He founded the
Tongnip Sinmun, the first Korean newspaper written
entirely in Hangul and formed the Independent
Club, and made the Independence Gate. He devoted
his life to the independence movement. Seo Jae-
pil’s birthplace was restored in 2003 from what was
lost during the Korean War. Near his birthplace,
there is a relic exhibition hall, the Independent
Gangjin Eup Church Statue of a patriot, Seo Jae-pil
Gate, and a sculpture park.