Gwangju Dong-gu Publishes "Figures of Dong-gu 1," Records of Local Ancestors

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Im Taek) announced on the 17th that it has published "Figures of Dong-gu 1," which contains the stories of 22 individuals who were either from Dong-gu or had established their activities there.

The figures featured in this book include Pastor Choi Heung-jong of Obang, who was deeply moved by missionary Forsythe's unbiased care for Hansen's disease patients and devoted his life to patients and the vulnerable; independence activist Seok-a Choi Won-soon; siblings Jang Jae-seong and Jang Mae-seong, who were at the center of the Gwangju Student Independence Movement; human rights lawyer Hong Nam-soon; and Lee Han-yeol, a youth of June, all of whom were independence activists, artists, and democracy martyrs from Dong-gu who embroidered modern and contemporary Korean history.

Additionally, the book includes stories of women such as Hyun Deok-shin, Gwangju's first female doctor, and Choi Hye-sun, who was active in the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai, greatly contributing to the discovery and promotion of the lesser-known history of Gwangju and Dong-gu.

It also introduces fascinating stories related to historical spaces such as Heunghakgwan, which was the center of youth and civil society movements and anti-Japanese movements; Sinmunjapjijongramso, where the Gwangju March 1st Movement and the Gwangju Student Independence Movement originated; and Jang Jae-seong’s bakery.

This publication was carried out as part of the "Discovery of Dong-gu Figure Archetypes and Production of Records" project, commissioned to the independent bookstore and publisher "Sonyeon-ui Seo" (Representative Im In-ja) to highlight the figures and historical events of Dong-gu's modern and contemporary history.

"Sonyeon-ui Seo" selected 22 historical figures based on the opinions of advisory committee members and verified the lives of these great individuals through literature research and interviews with those around them.

"Figures of Dong-gu 1" will be distributed to 13 administrative welfare centers in the district as well as public libraries and other resident-use facilities in Dong-gu and Gwangju to be shared with the community.

Im Taek, Mayor of Dong-gu, said, "Dong-gu, the original downtown of Gwangju, has produced many independence activists, social activists, outstanding artists, and scholars. Recording and inheriting the footprints of these great local figures is our mission, and I hope it will be an opportunity to gain wisdom to overcome the current difficult times through the exemplary lives of our ancestors and to set the direction of our lives."

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