After summit talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, President Moon Jae-in visited the Korean Legation building in Washington, D.C. and met the descendants of the first ambassador of the Korean Empire to the U.S. Park Jeong-yang and other officials.

The Korean Legation building is the first overseas diplomatic office built in the Western world. The building was bought for USD 25,000 in 1891 and used for diplomatic activities across the U.S. However, the 1905 Protectorate Treaty between Korea and Japan, known as the Eulsa Treaty, deprived the Korean Empire of its diplomatic sovereignty, which stopped all legation activities.

In 1910 when Japan formally annexed Korea, the colonial power purchased the building for just USD 5 and sold it to a U.S. entity for only USD 10. In 2012, the Korean government repurchased the building. After restoration, the Korean Legation building reopened as a history museum on May 22.

The building is of significant value as a cultural asset, as it is the only remaining building from either Joseon or the Korean Empire that retains its original appearance. It’s also the only one that has kept both its interior and exterior intact, among the other 19th-century diplomatic facilities that exist in Washington,