Seven Independence Activists Meet on 'Suwon's Path of Independence Movement'

The 81st Liberation Day celebration was held as a citizen-organized commemorative event for the creation of ‘Suwon's Path of Independence Movement.’

The ‘Suwon's Path of Independence Movement’ Steering Committee held a commemorative event on the 15th at the Kim Se-hwan Hall of Maehyang Girls' Information High School (Samil Girls' School during Japanese colonial rule), a nationalist school, with attendance by Suwon Metropolitan City Mayor Lee Jae-jun, Suwon Metropolitan Council Speaker Kim Mi-kyung, and approximately 500 citizens.

At the event, on behalf of Dasol Elementary School's 6th grade Class 3, Kim Min-seo and Lee Na-young recited and presented ‘Letters of Gratitude’ to Yoon Sol and Yoon Cham, great-great-grandchildren of Patriot Kim Se-hwan, and Yim Byung-moo, a poet and grandson of Patriot Im Myeon-su, among seven Suwon independence activists.

Beginning with the steering committee's launch in June of last year, the city worked with approximately 1,000 citizen participants and raised over 50 million won in funds with support from 33 organizations and enterprises and over 250 citizens. Representatives of donors who participated in the citizen fundraising for ‘Suwon's Path of Independence Movement’ delivered the collected funds to Lee Ju-hyun, chairman of the steering committee.

Suwon Metropolitan City Mayor Lee Jae-jun presented certificates of completion to three citizen docents representing the ‘Suwon's Path of Independence Movement’ program: Kang Shin-o, Oh Ha-bin (Gwanggyo Elementary 6th grade), and multicultural docent Zhang Lingling.

The commemorative ceremony concluded with the ‘Independence Army Patriotic Song’ and three cheers for independence, after which attendees moved to the wall of ‘Maehyang Girls' Information High School’ for the unveiling of an enormous mural by artist Leo Dav measuring 4 meters in height and 50 meters in length, concluding the event.

Prior to the commemorative event, the Gyeonggi Children's and Youth Choir performed a musical depicting events from the March 1st Movement in 1919 through Liberation Day on August 15, 1945, earning applause from attendees.

Beginning at Yeonmudae, where the 1919 independence movement took place, to Hwaseong Haenggung, the approximately 4-kilometer path traces 17 key sites of independence activism. Walking this route allows visitors to encounter the noble lives and fierce anti-Japanese resistance efforts of seven of Suwon's prominent independence activists, including Patriots Kim Se-hwan and Im Myeon-su.

Starting in September, the city will deploy 61 citizen docents to share independence movement stories embedded throughout the path with visitors. With 2026-2027 designated as Suwon's Tourism Year, the city plans to actively support efforts enabling tourists visiting Suwon to encounter the city's proud history of independence activism along this path.

Lee Ju-hyun, chairman of the ‘Suwon's Path of Independence Movement’ Steering Committee, said in his remarks, “During the March 1st Movement, Suwon was a center of independence activism where merchants, students, kisaeng, and farmers all stood against Japanese colonial rule,” and added, “It is true that those great footprints have been buried under rapid urban development and have faded from our collective memory.”

Suwon Metropolitan City Mayor Lee Jae-jun said in his congratulatory address, “Suwon has King Jeongjo's legacy of reform and compassionate governance, and another legacy of independence activism during Japanese colonial rule,” and continued, “We must now leave traces, remember, and pass down to future generations the spirit of seven Suwon independence activists such as Kim Se-hwan and Kim Hyang-hwa.”