Encountering Traces of Incheon's Modern and Contemporary History

Jayu (Freedom) Park is Korea's first Western-style park, where visitors can see the true face of modern and contemporary history spanning from Incheon's opening as a port, through the Japanese colonial period, to before and after the Korean War. Starting from Incheon Chinatown, passing through the Romance of the Three Kingdoms mural street, and touring Jayu Park, you can then visit a bank branch building preserving the history of the Japanese colonial era intact, taking in the history of Incheon all in one trip.

Along the way

1. 1

   Jayu Park (Jemulpo Club)

   자유공원(제물포구락부)

   Jayu Park is Korea's first Western-style park, built just five years after Incheon Port was opened. Set on high ground with a spacious site and dense forest, it's ideal for a stroll. At the summit stands the Korea-US Centennial Amity Monument, erected in 1982 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Korea-US Treaty of Amity and Commerce signed in April 1882. Beside it also stands a statue of General MacArthur, honoring his achievement in the successful Incheon Landing during the Korean War.\nMoreLess

   

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2. 2
   Incheon Chinatown

   인천 차이나타운

   Incheon Chinatown emerged after Incheon Port opened in 1883 and this area was designated a zone of extraterritoriality(治外法權, extraterritoriality) for Qing China in 1884. In the past, most of its shops sold goods imported from China, but today nearly all are Chinese restaurants. The ethnic Chinese residents who keep this street alive today are largely second- or third-generation descendants of the original settlers, and while they have not preserved much of the traditional culture that the first generation upheld, they have held firmly onto the authentic taste of China.\nMoreLess

   

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3. 3

   Former Incheon Branch of the Japanese 58th Bank

   (구)인천일본제58은행지점

   This was the Incheon branch of Japan's 58th Bank, headquartered in Osaka(大阪), opened in 1892. From 1946, Chohung Bank used it as its Incheon branch, but after building a new office in 1958 it moved out, and the building was subsequently used as the Gyeonggi Provincial Branch of the Red Cross; today it is used by the Incheon Jung-gu Restaurant Business Association. It is a two-story building with a stone-block foundation on the first floor, and dormer windows above the balcony on the second floor. \n\nMoreLess

   

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4. 4
   Wolmi Park

   월미공원

   Wolmi Park had been off-limits to citizens for over 50 years due to military occupation, until the city took it over from the Ministry of National Defense on September 10, 2001 and converted it into a park open to the public. Wolmi Park not only preserves its natural ecosystem well but also carries deep historical significance as a site of contention among the great powers in modern and contemporary history, and there are plans to further develop it as a natural ecology park and history park.\nMoreLess

   

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