Suncheon Maesandeung Area to Become the Tenth Modern Historical and Cultural District

Registration Notice Includes Seven Individual Heritage Sites

In the early 20th century, the Maesandeung area of Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, which served as the Southern Presbyterian mission base in the Honam region, is now on the verge of becoming the tenth recognized modern historical and cultural district.

Rogers Missionary House / Cultural Heritage Administration.

On October 7, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced its intention to designate the "Suncheon Maesandeung Modern and Contemporary Historical and Cultural District" and seven individual heritage sites within the area as National Registered Cultural Heritage. The plan will be finalized after collecting public opinions for a month and reviewing by the National Heritage Committee.

This notice is the first outcome since the selection process for modern and contemporary historical and cultural districts was switched in February to an ongoing application system. The area features cultural heritage sites from the modern and contemporary eras related to missionary work, education, healthcare, and residential use. The Cultural Heritage Administration evaluated the district as "having high historical and architectural value as a unit-level heritage site."

The individual heritage sites include the "Rogers Missionary House," a Western-style residential building; the "Old Maesandeung Mission Village Wall," which forms the boundary of the area; the "Anryeoksan Hospital Isolation Ward," a modern medical facility; the "Rehabilitation Vocational Guidance Center Stone Building," used for vocational education for persons with disabilities; the "Ubuja House Hanok Sarangchae," showing the evolution of modern hanok; the "Ubuja House Hanok Main Building," which retains its historical landscape; and the "Gosan Clinic Director's House," which preserves landscaping from the 1960s.

Gosan Clinic Director's House / Cultural Heritage Administration.

The Cultural Heritage Administration stated, "These sites demonstrate the application of Western modern architectural techniques alongside local construction materials, as well as the planned layout of an early city. They also show the impact that missionary activities in the modern and contemporary era had on the modernization process of Suncheon and its surrounding areas."

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