April 19 Collection Materials, Kim Ju-yeol Photos, and Diary to Become Cultural Heritage

Cultural Heritage Administration Focuses on Excavating 4·19 Revolution Cultural Heritage... Supports Conservation Treatment and Restoration Maintenance

List of Injured Korea University Students Participating in the April 19 Revolution [Jeong Seobon] - Page 1, Section 2

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jong-gil] Records capturing the protests and political situation around the April 19 Revolution will be registered as cultural heritage. On the 9th, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced that it will focus on discovering the ‘April 19 Revolution Cultural Heritage’ to remember the historic sites of democratization and draw lessons, and will promote their registration as national registered cultural heritage. There has been no case of democratization cultural heritage being registered as cultural heritage until now.

The Cultural Heritage Administration has already discovered 179 artifacts related to the April 19 Revolution through recommendations from local governments and related organizations, and after advisory meetings, selected seven items as priority candidates for registration. The records to be promoted for registration in the first half of the year include the ‘List of Injured Korea University Students Participating in the April 19 Revolution,’ ‘Materials Collected by Yonsei University April Revolution Research Group (Oral History of April 19 Revolution Participants),’ and ‘Materials Collected by Yonsei University April Revolution Research Group (Martial Law Proclamation Documents of the April 19 Revolution).’

The ‘List of Injured Korea University Students Participating in the April 19 Revolution’ organizes the names of people injured during the Korea University student protests on the day before the April 19 Revolution. It consists of two draft versions and one finalized version supplementing them. The first draft is presumed to have been written by multiple people. Details such as injury locations and severity are recorded. Injury locations include Anam-dong, in front of Cheonil Theater, the National Assembly building, Jongno 3-ga, and in front of Dongdaemun Police Station.

The ‘Materials Collected by Yonsei University April Revolution Research Group’ are oral history records left by the ‘April Revolution Research Group,’ formed and led by senior students of the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Yonsei University. They are divided into nine types, including witness and nearby resident surveys of the April 19 demonstrations, professor demonstration status surveys, post-event handling surveys, and detainee surveys. They asked about political interest and feelings in Seoul, Daegu, Busan, and Masan. The demonstration status surveys describe motivations for participation, times and locations, and even the conflict process during dispersal. These are the only existing oral history materials targeting participants of not only Seoul but also the Daegu 2·28 and Masan 3·15 demonstrations.

The ‘Materials Collected by Yonsei University April Revolution Research Group’ were collected by the research group upon request from institutions. They consist of 19 types, including 12 types of emergency martial law proclamations, one martial law declaration, one admonition, three public notices, and two statements. According to these, emergency martial law was declared at 5 p.m. on April 19 in Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, and Daejeon. Subsequently, public notices were issued ordering the dispersal of assemblies, suspension of school attendance, prohibition of movement, control of media and publishing, and prohibition of spreading rumors.

The other priority candidates for registration include ‘Photo of Martyr Kim Ju-yeol taken by Busan Ilbo reporter Heo Jong,’ ‘Materials on the Liberal Party’s fraudulent election,’ ‘Resignation letter of Syngman Rhee,’ ‘Student diaries from the Masan area,’ and ‘The April 19 Demonstration I Experienced,’ a diary by Lee Byung-tae, a student at Dongseong High School. Kim Ju-yeol is the figure who was found dead in the sea in front of Masan Central Wharf with a tear gas canister lodged in his right eye. Reporter Heo Jong photographed and reported the body on April 11, 1960. This photo served as a decisive trigger for the April 19 Revolution.

The Cultural Heritage Administration will finalize registration decisions through expert field investigations and Cultural Heritage Committee reviews once local governments apply for registration of the promoted cultural heritage. Additionally, it will support preservation treatment and restoration maintenance, produce related content, and promote it online. When the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) subsides, a special exhibition and academic conference will be held jointly with Yonsei University to publicly reveal the April Revolution Research Group’s collected materials for the first time.

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