KOREA FOUNDATION

Horace Grant Underwood was born in England and became a missionary in the United States, but he spent the longest portion of his life in Korea. Also known by his Korean name, Won Doo-woo (元杜尤), Underwood was the first “foreign-born Korean” who, although not ethnically Korean, displayed his great love for Korea and engaged in humanitarianism here.

He landed in Korea for the first time in 1885 and began practicing medicine at Jejungwon (formerly called Gwanghyewon), a state medical center and college founded in February of the same year. He also taught physics and chemistry at the center’s institute of higher learning. In the meantime, he set up a school for orphans and wrote a book on English grammar as well as English-Korean and Korean-English dictionaries until his deteriorating health forced him to return to the United States. After a brief sojourn, he returned to Korea in 1892 and continued his work as missionary.

His final visit to Korea then came in 1999, when his remains were moved to the Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery in Seoul’s Mapo District. Over 80 years after he passed away in the United States, this marked the final chapter of his lasting relationship with Korea.

During his prolonged stay at his home in the United States, his longing for Korea seemed to have grown stronger and he may have had unfulfilled dreams for the faraway country. He missed Korea even on his deathbed and his love for Korea was passed on to his wife and to four generations of their descendants. Horace Grant Underwood and his wife Lillias Horton Underwood; their son Horace Horton Underwood, whose Korean name was Won Han-gyeong; and their grandson Horace Grant Underwood II, whose Korean name was Won Il-han, are all buried at the Underwood family section of the Yanghwajin Cemetery. In this eternal family home, visitors do not only learn about a remarkable story that began 140 years ago but also encounter the dreams of the Underwood family that still live on.

Written by Kim Moonyoung
Illustrated by EEWHA

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