Afanasy Seredin-Sabatin

Who was Afanasy Seredin-Sabatin?

Afanasii Ivanovich Seredin-Sabatin was a Russian born steersman-pilot and reporter for an English newspaper, but is best known as the first European architect to live and work in the Korean Empire from 1890 to 1904. He built a number of palaces in European style within the city of Seoul. He also built the first Russian Legation building, also in the city of Seoul. This building is a historical site because shortly after the Japanese invasion of Korea, in 1895, when the Korean Queen Min was assassinated by the Japanese, King Gojong and his son were given refuge in the Russian Legation for a year.