Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-jun: "A Nation That Forgets Its History Has No Future"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Suwon Metropolitan Mayor Lee Jae-jun emphasized, "A nation that forgets its history has no future."

On the 24th, the mayor visited the Suwon Gwanggyo Museum, where the exhibition "Maehaon's Dream, Contained in Poetry" honoring independence activist Yun Bong-gil (1908-1932) is being held, and stated, "We will make efforts not to be ashamed before the independence activists who devoted themselves solely to the nation, and to create the future of the Republic of Korea that they envisioned."

After viewing the exhibition, Mayor Lee held a discussion with Im Byung-moo, a descendant of Pildonge Im Myeon-soo, an independence activist from Suwon; Park Hwan, a professor at Suwon University and researcher of independence movement history (former chairman of the Korean National Movement History Association); Moon Gwang-ju, head of the Suwon branch of the Korean Veterans Association (family of patriotic martyr); and Im Mi-seon, curator of the Maehaon Yun Bong-gil Memorial Museum.

Mayor Lee, who is also a descendant of independence activist Lee Sang-seol (1870-1917), stated, "To encourage more citizens to view the exhibition, we will also hold a special exhibition on Yun Bong-gil at Suwon City Hall," and added, "We will also push forward special exhibitions at public libraries on topics of independence movements and history so that our children can develop a proper sense of history."

Chairman Moon Gwang-ju said, "There are many descendants of independence activists struggling through difficult circumstances," and noted, "Remembering the sacrifices of independence activists is a very important task."

Mayor Lee awarded commendations to Im Byung-moo, Professor Park Hwan, Chairman Moon Gwang-ju of the Suwon branch of the Korean Veterans Association, and Curator Im Mi-seon in gratitude for their efforts in promoting Suwon's independence movement and independence activists.

Im Byung-moo, grandson of Pildonge Im Myeon-soo, has continuously worked to raise awareness of Suwon's independence activists, and Moon Gwang-ju, head of the Suwon branch of the Korean Veterans Association and son of Moon Han-woo, who participated in anti-Japanese student movements, has led efforts to honor independence activists.

Professor Park Hwan, a prominent scholar studying the history of national movements, has discovered numerous independence activists and has particularly contributed to uncovering the independence movement and activists in the Suwon region. Curator Im Mi-seon continues to work on spreading the independence movement ideals of Yun Bong-gil.

"Maehaon's Dream, Contained in Poetry" is a traveling exhibition organized by the Maehaon Yun Bong-gil Memorial Museum to commemorate the 90th anniversary (2022) of Yun Bong-gil's bombing in Shanghai. The exhibition features models, photographs, and images of poems and resumes that allow visitors to infer the formation process of his ideology based on poetic materials left by Yun.

In the 1920s, Maehaon Yun Bong-gil engaged in rural enlightenment activities and worked to build the nation's strength. In 1930, he went into exile in Manchuria for the independence movement, and the following year relocated to the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai.

On April 26, 1932, after joining the Korean Patriotic Corps, he carried out a bombing attack on April 29 at a ceremony held in Hongkou Park in Shanghai to celebrate the Japanese emperor's birthday and commemorate victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War. As a result of Yun's bombing, Shanghai military commander Yoshinori Shirakawa and Japanese Resident-General Sadatsugu Kawabata were killed instantly, and seven Japanese military leaders including Third Fleet Commander Admiral Nomura were seriously wounded.

After his arrest, Yun was sentenced to death by the Japanese military court in May of the same year, was transported to Japan, and died at the age of 25 on December 19. In 1962, he was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit of the Republic of Korea, Grand Decoration. The special traveling exhibition of Yun Bong-gil runs at the Suwon Gwanggyo Museum through March 1.