Old Korean Legation in Washington recognized as U.S. cultural heritage site

The Old Korean Legation in Washington was officially added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) said Wednesday.

The Old Korean Legation in Washington [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]

The Old Korean Legation in Washington was officially added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) said Wednesday.

The listing was confirmed by the U.S. National Park Service, which has now designated the historic house as a federal cultural heritage site. This registration, established under the U.S. National Historical Preservation Act of 1966, acknowledges districts, buildings, structures, objects and sites for having an impact on American history or cultural arts.

It’s the first time a Korea-related building has been designated as a national historic place by the U.S. government.

The Old Korean Legation, now a museum, was built in 1877 initially as a private home. It then served as a diplomatic legation from 1889 to 1905. Activities were ceased when the Eulsa Treaty was forcibly signed, introducing the Japanese protectorate system in Korea.

The building is “a symbol of the drive for independence among Korean residents in the United States who gathered there to reaffirm their determination to recover the sovereignty of their motherland,” the legation's website reads.

It was also the first overseas legation in a Western country and had a pivotal role in “absorbing modern cultural elements from the West” toward the end of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

The KHS, formerly known as the Cultural Heritage Administration, repurchased it in 2012 after it was sold off by the Japanese government to an American individual in 1910.

It has since reopened to the public as a museum in 2018 after the then-administration conducted restoration and preservation work.

The Old Korean Legation is the only surviving building, among the 30 foreign legations established in Washington in the 19th century, that maintains its original appearance both internally and externally.

Both the KHS and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation said they would continue to preserve and promote various visitor programs to highlight the Old Korean Legation’s historical significance.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]