CHUNCHEON, Gangwon Province -- Chuncheon is one of South Korea’s most sought-after tourist destinations, where travelers can enjoy extensive mountain ridges, breathtaking views of the Soyang River, stylish cafes and the bold neon signs of restaurants.

What may surprise some visitors to the area is the signage of an unfamiliar street name which reads “Ethiopia-gil,” meaning "Ethiopia Road" in Korean, in Geunhwa-dong, central Chuncheon.

Streets in South Korea are typically named after Korean historical figures and places of historical significance to the area, or are based on characteristics and names of different districts within the city.

By those standards, the choice to name the road after Ethiopia -- a country located some 9,000 kilometers away -- might seem a little peculiar.

However, Ethiopia is no stranger to some Koreans, especially for many Chuncheon residents.

Friendship in the Korean War

The Korea-Ethiopia friendship dates back to July 1950, when the UN Secretary-General announced its resolution to support South Korea with additional ground forces during the Korean War.

After failing to receive assistance from the League of Nations to defeat foreign aggression years before, Ethiopia knew the importance of maintaining world peace through collective action. As such, Ethiopia's Emperor Haile Selassie decided to dispatch its ground forces to assist the little-known country in East Asia.

From its first dispatch of the Kagnew Infantry Battalion with almost 1,200 imperial guards in 1951 to the defensive battle at York and Uncle Hills against the communist Chinese Army in May 1953, Ethiopian troops participated in some 250 military operations, including in fierce battles in the hilly areas of Korea’s central front, which was located in Hwacheon and Cheorwon, Gangwon Province.

To honor the sacrifice of Ethiopian soldiers during the 1950-53 Korean War, Chuncheon established the Korean War Veteran’s Memorial Monument in 1968.

Promise with Ethiopian emperor

Brian Seo, secretary general of the Memorial Hall for Ethiopian Veterans in the Korean War, explained that this was the beginning of the close bond between Chuncheon and Ethiopia.

“Chuncheon, the capital of Gangwon Province, was the only city (or county in Gangwon Province) that could invite someone like the Ethiopian emperor, in terms of road conditions and (infrastructure), in the late 1960s,” Seo told The Korea Herald on Jan. 10.

While visiting Chuncheon in 1968, Emperor Selassie asked the then-South Korean President Park Chung-hee if there could be a “bet,” meaning a home or cultural center, where he could take a rest and share Ethiopian culture with Koreans in the city.

“Schoolteachers and couple Cho Yong-yi and Kim Ok-hee, who were two of the many visitors who witnessed Selassie’s visit to Chuncheon, decided to establish what many people know as the city’s most famed cafe, Ethiopia Bet,” Seo said.

“Because no one knew about coffee roasting in Korea in the 1960s, the couple went to Japan to learn how to transform raw, green coffee beans into dark brown beans for different coffee brewing processes. Ethiopia Bet is the first-ever roastery cafe established in Korea,” he added.

Ethiopia Bet is also the only cafe in Korean to have used coffee beans from the Ethiopian emperor’s palace.

Lion patterns, which symbolize the African country, are easy to see throughout the cafe.

Ownership of Ethiopia Bet was passed down to the couple’s daughter Cho Soo-kyung, who has been making coffee for more than 20 years. She is trying to pass on the family business to her children, hoping to keep the promise of not letting a day go by without the aroma of coffee in Ethiopia Bet.

“After Chuncheon and Addis Ababa -- the capital and largest city of Ethiopia -- signed a sisterhood agreement in 2004, the city decided to construct the Memorial Hall for Ethiopian Veterans of the Korean War,” Seo said.

“It may be a small museum, but the place is certainly a one-of-a-kind memorial hall. It is the first and only memorial hall, built with public funds, to commemorate one specific country (in Korea). Chuncheon residents raised the funds to show their gratitude and appreciation for the precious sacrifices made by the Ethiopian veterans,” Seo added.

"I was surprised when I met some young Koreans who did not know where Ethiopia was. I hope there can be more chances to promote Ethiopia and its culture to the Korean public, making our relationship stronger," the Ethiopian Embassy's First Counselor Elias Endris told The Korea Herald at his office on Tuesday.