[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Boryeong Godaedo, which holds significant meaning in Korea's modern and contemporary history, has been selected as the ‘Island of the Month’ for July by the Korea Island Promotion Agency.
According to the Korea Island Promotion Agency on the 3rd, Godaedo is the site where Korea's first Protestant missionary work took place, and an event commemorating this is held every July.
On July 25, 1832, Karl Friedrich August Gutzlaff, the first Protestant missionary to enter Korea, arrived on Godaedo.
Gutzlaff, a German Lutheran pastor, visited Joseon in 1832 to carry out missionary work, 34 years before Thomas, a martyr missionary who died in 1866, and 52 years before Allen, a medical missionary who entered through Incheon Port in 1884.
Gutzlaff and his party stayed on Godaedo for 20 days, distributing Chinese Bibles, evangelistic documents, books, and medicines to the residents, planting potatoes, and spreading grape cultivation methods.
They continuously prescribed medicine for patients after arriving on the island. On August 2, 1832, they prescribed medicine for about 60 cold patients, a record that remains as the first instance of Western medical treatment by Western missionaries in Joseon.
They also translated the Lord’s Prayer into Hangul, taught it, and recorded the Hangul alphabet, later introducing it to the world.
To commemorate this, Godaedo has designated July as Karl Gutzlaff Day since 2014, holding events to celebrate it annually.
Designated as part of Taean Coast National Park, Godaedo is a clean and pristine sea area where clams and oysters can be easily harvested anywhere on the island, and the water is so clear that the underwater scenery is visible.
Additionally, beyond Dangsan near the village, there is Dangsan Beach surrounded by strange rock formations and golden red pine trees, and at the southern tip of the island, there is a pebble beach, both popular among vacationers.
Oh Dongho, President of the Korea Island Promotion Agency, said, “Through the Island of the Month, I hope the value of forgotten and lesser-known islands will be rediscovered,” adding, “We will do our best to link various projects of the agency, such as the visiting island field forums, to discuss policy issues and discover policy tasks.”
Meanwhile, the Korea Island Promotion Agency’s ‘Island of the Month’ features interesting information about the island’s history, culture, and traditions under the theme ‘Useful Island of the Month (hereafter Alssulseom).’
Detailed information about the Island of the Month can be found on the Korea Island Promotion Agency’s SNS accounts (Facebook Seomsojip and Instagram Ohasum).
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