page_title: Ryongyon County
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Ryongyon County / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Church building constructed at Sorae, Korea (now Ryongyon County, South Hwanghae Province, North Korea) in 1895 by Korean Christians.
context_page_description: Ryongyŏn County is a county in western South Hwanghae province, North Korea. Its Yellow Sea coast is known for its natural environment and as an important habitat for plants and birds. Ryongyŏn was the first place in which Protestant Christianity was established in Korea, in the late 19th century.
context_section_description: The first Protestant Christian church in Korea was founded at Sorae (Korean: 소래),
  on the southern coast of Ryongyŏn, in 1884 – before the beginning of foreign missionary activity in Korea. The church was founded by Suh Sang-Ryun (서상륜), who had been converted to Christianity while in Manchuria.
  The church was visited and supported by English, Scottish, and American Presbyterian missionaries in the following years, including Horace Underwood. A permanent church building was constructed by the local Christians in 1895.
  The territory of Ryongyŏn County lies just above the 38th parallel, and was included in the northern zone during the division of Korea. The nearby Ongjin Peninsula and Baengnyeong Island fell within the southern zone.
  During the Korean War, the island Wollaedo was used as a base by pro-Southern partisans. This position was regularly bombarded by Northern artillery on the mainland of Cape Changsan. In 1952, a group of "White Tiger" partisans working together with United States Special Forces landed on the cape. They successfully took control of and destroyed the artillery site, escaping with
  small losses.
  It has been reported by a former North Korean army officer that areas of the coast in Ryongyŏn are still defended by
  land mines.
  The territory of Ryongyŏn County was previously part of Changyon County. In 1952, Changyon was split, and the new Ryongyŏn County was created.
caption: Church at Sorae, 1895 by Korean Christians
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