The city of Mérida in Yucatán State in Mexico has established May fourth as “Korea Day,” to mark the date when Koreans first set foot in the city toward the end of the Joseon Dynasty. 

South Korea’s Embassy in Mexico said on Tuesday that the Mérida city council unanimously approved an ordinance for establishing “Korea Day” last Saturday. 

Mérida, located at Mexico’s southeastern tip, is where one-thousand-33 Koreans first settled back in 1905 to work on farms. The settlers were never able to return home after Japan’s forced annexation of Korea. 

Currently, some seven-thousand descendants of the first group of Koreans reside in Mérida and nearby regions. 

The South Korean Embassy said it plans to hold events marking the establishment of “Korea Day” together with the Korean community, the Yucatán State and the city of Mérida.