bridge & river

왜관, Waegwan, the name of the administrative district to the north of Daegu, is located next to the Nakdong River, connected by three bridges. Two bridges among them were completed by Japanese colonialists for military purposes, the older one was built in 1905. Waegwan means literally the official residence for the Japanese during Joseon dynasty. There used to be a Japanese settlement in Waegwan.

During the Korean War in the summer of 1950, the area around Waegwan was one of the most intense battlefields as Communist North Korean forces attempted to cross the river and push south through Waegwan toward Daegu. ROK and US forces formed a defensive line along the banks of the Nakdong River in order to deter the enemy's advance. Two spans of the bridges were then destroyed by an explosion ordered by a commander of the US army to prevent the suspicious refugees, believed to be North Korean soldiers disguised in civilian clothes, from crossing the river.

In 1953, the Korean war, the first major armed clash between the free world and communist forces ended with a truce, claiming millions of lives and causing incalculable economic and social damage. The photo shows the bridge built in 1905, which was repaired temporally and opened for public traffic after the war. It was reinforced again and reopened only for pedestrians in 1993.

Christianity in Daegu

After Roman Catholic was first introduced to the peninsula in 1784, Catholics were brutally prosecuted on charges of their accepting the religion of so-called western barbarians over about 100 years. In 1880th, Christians were finally legalized to share and expand their faith.

In 1903, Gyesan Cathedral 계산성당 was built as a parish church of the Daegu Archdiocese 대구 교구 and the first Gothic-style church in this region, as Catholic church began to exert its influence on Daegu and Gyeongbuk 경북 district.

A missionary named William M. Baird was dispatched to Joseon 조선 by the Northern Presbyterian Church in America in summer, 1890. He left San Francisco for Joseon with his wife, and 70 days later arrived at Busan port in late January 1891 by way of Hawaii and Japan. He stayed at Busan area about two years and preached the gospel. But he wished to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to Gentiles in Daegu and Gyeongbuk area to the north of Busan and decided to go on a missionary trip to the region.

He began a journey on foot from Busan, went along the local roads, crossed streams and rivers sometimes and got to Cheongdo on the afternoon of April 21, 1893 and finally arrived at the southern gate of Daegu fortress one day later, which means that for the first time a Protestant missionary arrived in the area. Since then, the other Protestant missionaries had arrived, and western civilization and culture, as well as the gospel, were introduced into local people. And they opened schools and hospital as did in other areas.

Apple trees were also brought into Daegu from America and flourished quite well in the soil of Daegu region. Later Daegu got the reputation as a city of apples. The offspring of the first apple trees planted by the American missionaries is still alive on the hill behind Dongsan Medical Center founded by them. Their old-fashioned and American-style residences are also close to it and well preserved.

Above two photos represent some views of the high school established by an American missionary in 1906. Visitors can see some letters on the right side of the main entrance to the main building. The letters "헨더슨 紀念館" inscribed into granite stone indicate Henderson Memorial. Henderson was the 4'th principal of the school.

Red bricks and stones were used to build walls of a building in the school. After the Daegu fortress was broken and dismantled, a few discarded stones were recycled here.