Yi Yeong-chun House

About this place

This is a villa-style house built by Kumamoto Rihei, a Japanese landlord who operated a large farm in Gunsan during the Japanese colonial period, used as a temporary residence when he visited the farm in spring and at harvest time. It blends Western, Korean, and Japanese architectural styles. After liberation, Dr. Yi Yeong-chun (pen name: Ssangcheon), a pioneering figure in rural public health in Korea, resided here, giving the house its name. Due to its beautiful exterior, it has served as a filming location for many movies and TV dramas including 'Bingjeom' (Freezing Point), 'Hourglass,' and 'Man of the Wild.' Dr. Yi Yeong-chun is known as the 'Schweitzer of Korea' — his pen name Ssangcheon (雙川, Twin Springs) means 'two streams: one that heals bodily illness, one that heals the soul.' Born in Yonggang-gun, South Pyongan Province in October 1903, he was introduced by Professor Watanabe of Gyeongseong Imperial University (his homeroom teacher during his Pyongyang High School law course) to serve as director of the Jahye Medical Clinic under the Kumamoto Farm in Gaejeong, North Jeolla — caring for the 20,000 sharecropping families — and took up the post at the young age of 33 in April 1935. He was the first in Korea to implement a school nurse system and a medical insurance cooperative.