Daebul Hotel
The Daebul Hotel, Japanese name Daibutsu Hotel, was a historic former hotel in Incheon, South Korea. Built in 1888, it was the first ever Western-style hotel to be established in Korea.
The building now operates as a museum. The first floor covers the history of the building, and the second the history of Jung District in the 1960s to 1970s.
History
The hotel started as a two-story Japanese-style wooden building in 1884. Due to lack of facilities to accommodate foreigners, the building was rebuilt in 1888 and became a three-story Western style building. It was operated by Hori Hisataro, a Japanese shipping agent. It was frequented by sailors in its early history.Hotels in Incheon began to decline with the opening of the Gyeongin Line in 1899. Daebul Hotel closed around 1907. In 1918, Chinese people including Lai Shaojing took over the hotel and opened the Beijing cuisine restaurant Zhonghualou. It remained in operation until early 1970 and was used as a rental house until it was demolished in 1978.