Page 48 - 영문 이성필성지순례여행

46 Incheon Incheon 47

31 Daebul Hotel Exhibition Hall 32 Naeri Church

101 Sinpo-ro 23beon-gil, Jung-gu 3-1 Uhyeon-ro 67beon-gil, Jung-gu http://naeri.co.kr

“Naeri Church is the first Methodist church in Korea.”

“The first Western-style hotel
The opinions on the origin of Naeri Church are divided among scholars. Some claim it was
in Korea where American
established in 1885, and the others claim it was established in 1886. Here, I would like to
missionaries Appenzeller
introduce it based on the arguments of the Naeri Church. According to the Naeri Church, it
and Underwood stayed.”
is said to be a mother church of Korea founded on July 19, 1885. Naeri Church claims that
it is a church established by missionary Appenzeller where Appenzeller first worshiped after
entering Korea.
In addition, Naeri Church is the church that has spread the gospel widely to nearby
areas including Incheon. Naeri Church also established Younghwa Elementary school to
enlighten the people. It is a valuable church that organized a theological society to nurture
talents, helped the people who were hungry for poverty at the time, and worked hard on
overseas missionary work by establishing a Hawaiian immigration company.

A photo of the Daebul Hotel at that time

Gyeonggi Province's first Western-style hotel! Daebul Hotel is the first Western-style hotel
in Korea, built in 1888 as a three-story Western-style brick building in Jungang-dong, Jung-
gu, Incheon. It was closed in 1919 due to the opening of the Gyeongin Railroad Line. It was
acquired by the Chinese in 1918 and turned into a restaurant, Junghwaru, and the place
was used as a parking lot after the building had been demolished in 1978.
It is highly valuable as a data on social and cultural changes in Incheon, a colonial port city.
It is said that the Christian community is highly interested in the restoration of the Daebul
Hotel because it was the first modern hotel in Korea where Appenzeller and Underwood,
American missionaries who spread Christianity to Korea, stayed. Records show that
banquets were held at the Great Bull Hotel in 1885 and 1886. In the process of trying to
build a new building on the site, some red brick structures were discovered in May 2011,
and the Jung-gu Office in Incheon requested the establishment and review of the “Daebul Naeri Methodist Church The First Methodist Church
in Korea, Naeri Church
Hotel Site Preservation and Utilization Plan”.