Seung-ro Lee, Seongbuk-gu Mayor, Declares Message: "Overcome Crisis with the Spirit of March 1st"

Rising Domestic and International Concerns Amid COVID-19 Spread... A Message to Remember Ancestors Who Overcame National Crisis Together and Rekindle Hope and Determination

Seung-ro Lee, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, visited the 'Cultural Space Yi Yuk-sa' established in Jongam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, delivering a message of 'Overcoming Crisis with the Spirit of March 1st Movement.'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] To commemorate the 101st anniversary of the March 1st Movement, Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, delivered a message titled 'Overcoming Crisis with the Spirit of March 1st'.

Ahead of March 1st, Mayor Lee visited the ‘Cultural Space Yi Yuk-sa’ located in Jongam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, stating, “March 1st is a monumental event where our nation resisted Japanese colonial rule and declared our will for independence to the world, demonstrating the strength of our people.” He added, “At a time when the rapid spread of COVID-19 is heightening a sense of crisis both domestically and internationally, I deliver this message hoping that we unite our hearts, remember our ancestors who overcame national crises, and hold onto hope and determination.”

Mayor Lee shouted “If we unite our hearts, we can accomplish anything” to the 450,000 residents of Seongbuk-gu and the people of the Republic of Korea.

This message was reportedly proposed directly by Mayor Lee Seung-ro when it became difficult to hold the March 1st events with many residents due to the rapid spread of COVID-19.

A Seongbuk-gu official emphasized that “Seongbuk-gu is known as the ‘City of Independence Activists,’ where over 100 independence activists such as Han Yong-un (resident of Seongbuk-dong), Yi Yuk-sa (resident of Jongam-dong), Jo So-ang (resident of Dongsomun-dong), Jeong Jeong-hwa and Kim Ui-han (residents of Dongseon-dong), Lee Eun-sook and Lee Gyu-chang, Yoo Woo-seok and Jo Hwa-byeok (residents of Jeongneung-dong) were active,” and added, “We have shown exceptional passion in informing Seongbuk residents of this fact and fostering pride.”

At the metropolitan city level, Seongbuk-gu was the first nationwide to actively gain consent from local members to rename roads bearing traces of pro-Japanese history. After hearing from officials of Glendale City, USA?Seongbuk-gu’s sister city and the first overseas city to establish a Statue of Peace?about persistent lobbying by Japanese right-wing groups to remove the statue, Mayor Lee personally visited elementary, middle, and high schools to appeal to students’ interest.

More than 1,600 children and adolescents from Seongbuk-gu wrote heartfelt support letters and personally delivered them to Glendale City, conveying the true meaning of the Statue of Peace to city officials and citizens, thereby fostering empathy.

In this atmosphere, various activities by local members continue, such as the ‘Overseas City Support Challenge for the Statue of Peace’ by students of Gyeseong High School and the ‘Independence Declaration Manuscript Challenge’ by the Seongbuk-gu branch of the Korean Liberation Association.

‘Cultural Space Yi Yuk-sa’ is a memorial hall established to commemorate the national poet Yi Yuk-sa (1904?1944), who lived in Jongam-dong from 1939 and published his representative work ‘Green Grapes’ there.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.