뉴스레터

“The young son of Lee Chae-yeon, a Korean charge d'affaires, has died. The child was born in Washington City in October of last year and was the first Korean born in the United States. The child’s parents named him ‘Ye Washon’, a Korean translation of Washington, where he was born (the name was engraved on the tombstone).”

On December 24, 1890, the American 『Los Angeles Herald』 published this short article. This is an obituary about the death of a young life born on the eastern side of the American continent

(currently Washington D.C.). However, this short article is being revived after 133 years.

Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, Dc., USA was created in 1849. This is a park cemetery where major figures who are essential in modern and contemporary American history are buried. In particular, it is famous as a resting place for famous diplomats. The family grave of Seth L. Phelps(1824-1885) is also located here. Phelps, who served as a naval officer during the Civil War, achieved remarkable military service under General Grant, commander-in-chief of the Northern Army. After retirement, he also achieved success as a politician and diplomat.

  When he died in 1885, a cemetery was created here. This is the beginning of the Phelps family cemetery that continues to this day. Meanwhile, when Phelps died, he passed the house he lived to his son-in-law. Phelp’s son-in-law, Sevellon A. Brown(1843-1895), who later became Deputy Secretary of State, transferred ownership of the house to King Gojong(1852-1919) for $25,000. This is the current ‘Korean Embassy in the United States’ building in Washington, D.C. (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Legation’).

The first Korean born in America

The embassy was located in Washington, D.C. for 16 years from 1889 to the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905. However, immediately after the forced annexation of Korea and Japan in 1910, Japan sold off the legation building at a low price. The Cultural Heritage Administration purchased the legation building for $3.5 million in October 2012 and restored it. It was then decorated as an exhibition hall introducing diplomatic activities with the United States from the Joseon Dynasty to the Korean Empire and opened in May 2018.

However, in 2014, the Overseas Cultural Heritage Foundation discovered an interesting fact while researching old American newspaper materials ahead of the restoration of the legation. A boy was born at the legation in October 1890, but he died two months after birth and was buried in the nearby Oak Hill Cemetery. The father of the deceased child was Lee Chae-Yeon(1861-1900), a charge d'affaires, and the mother was Seongju Bae. However, after thoroughly examining the additional burial records found in the Oak Hill Cemetery archives and the small grave of the dead child(the epitaph was ‘Ye Washon’), an unexpected fact was revealed.

  The child’s grave was created along with the family grave of Phelps, the former owner of the legation building, and the guarantor in the process was Phelps’ son-in-law and then-Deputy Secretary of State, Brown. Is there any other system as conservative as the funeral system throughout the East and West? Nevertheless, the body of a stranger with a different skin color was readily accepted into the family grave of a prominent diplomatic family in a foreign country.

  What was even more surprising was the tombstone. The English name ‘Ye Washon’ was clearly visible on the front of the tombstone, which was only about 30 centimeters tall. On the back of the tombstone, ‘Joseon Nihwason’ written in the royal script Hangul was revealed. This is interpreted to mean that ‘nationality is Joseon’ and ‘descendants born from Hwaseongdon(華盛頓, borrowing the sound of ‘Washington’)’. However, if you take a step further, you feel a deep sadness.

The saddest and most beautiful story in the world

  First of all, the Korean letters beautifully written on the tombstone are presumed to be the mother’s handwriting. How did a mother feel when she lost her newborn child and had to pick up a brush? Above all, if you look closely at the three letters of the child’s name, it becomes even sadder. The ‘child’s name’ should be made to wish for the child’s future, but the name had to be given in order to be engraved on the tombstone that would be erected over the child’s body.

  Diplomacy, then and now, is to be infinitely cool-headed when it comes to national interests. It is a well-known fact that in the diplomatic dictionary, there are neither permanent friends nor enemies. That is why the ‘Joseon Nihwason’ grave discovered at the family grave of a prominent diplomatic family in Washington D.C. is unrealistic and fairy-tale-like. However, what is clear is that this is a clear example of the relationship between Joseon and the United States in 1890.

  Recently, Ye Washon’s cemetery was selected as a ‘DC Historic Site’ by the DC Preservation League, a private organization comprised of historical preservation experts from various fields to preserve the history of Washington, D.C. This means that in the long historical relationship between Korea and the United States, Ye Washon’s cemetery is a noteworthy place. Additionally, according to the Oak Hill Cemetery Management Office, the number of people inquiring about finding Ye Washon’s cemetery is gradually increasing. Aren’t people trying to find something big hidden in a small tombstone perhaps?