Construction of the 'Lee Bong-chang Activist Memorial Hall' in Hyochang-dong, Yongsan-gu

Published 18 May.2020 06:55(KST)

As part of Yongsan District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun's flagship policy to restore the district's history, a 70㎡ section was created in the 484.4㎡ Lee Bong-chang Historical Park at 286-7 Hyochang-dong... Completion ceremony held on October 10th to mark the 88th anniversary of Lee's death... In 2017, a memorial monument for Yu Gwan-sun was erected at Itaewon Bugundang Historical Park

E Bong-chang, the activist

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) is starting construction of the Lee Bong-chang Memorial Hall, aiming for an opening in October.

This is part of the district’s project to set the record straight on local history.

The project site is located at 286-7, Hyochang-dong, with a land area of 484.4㎡. The memorial hall will be a single-story building with a total floor area of 70㎡, featuring traditional wooden architecture topped with a tiled roof.

The interior is divided into an exhibition room (49.31㎡), a preparation office (4.46㎡), and a residents’ lounge (7.87㎡). A wooden veranda (7.96㎡) will be installed in front of the exhibition room to provide visitors a place to rest briefly.

The outdoor area around the building will be developed as the “Lee Bong-chang Historical Park.” A total of 709 trees, including crape myrtles, will be planted along with various other flowers. A traditional Korean-style hanok fence will be installed along the park’s boundary.

The total project cost is 700 million KRW.

Since 2018, the district has established a basic plan for the memorial hall as part of Mayor Seong’s campaign pledges during the 7th local election term.

The site was secured through the Hyochang 4 District housing redevelopment project (currently Yongsan KCC Switzen Apartments), which includes the birthplace of Lee Bong-chang. The small park donated by the redevelopment association was converted into a “historical park” after consultation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

The construction design was completed between February and April. The district will issue a service contract for the creation of exhibition content alongside the start of construction this month. In June, a naming contest for the memorial hall will be held targeting the general public.

Lee Bong-chang is a representative independence activist of Yongsan. He was born in 1901 in Wonhyo-ro 2-ga, Yongsan-gu, and moved to 118, Hyochang-dong in 1917. From 1919 to 1924, he worked as a station clerk at Yongsan Station before moving to Osaka, Japan in 1925.

In 1931, Lee set his mind on independence and visited the Provisional Government in Shanghai. It is said that he scolded the government officials, saying, “You claim to be fighting for independence, but why can’t you kill the Japanese Emperor?”

At that time, Baekbeom Kim Gu, who was organizing the Korean Patriotic Corps, had a conversation with Lee and then prepared the historic Tokyo incident. On January 8, 1932, Lee threw a bomb at Emperor Hirohito as he was returning from the New Year’s military parade at Yoyogi Parade Ground in Tokyo.

Although the attempt failed, it rekindled the flame of the anti-Japanese independence movement. Kim Gu proudly stated, “(Lee’s act) showed the world that Koreans had not assimilated into Japan.” Lee was sentenced to death by the Tokyo court on September 30, 1932, and was executed on October 10 at Ichigaya Prison in Japan.

On June 30, 1946, the year after liberation, Kim Gu repatriated Lee’s remains to Korea, where he was buried in the Three Martyrs’ Cemetery at Hyochang Park (177-18, Hyochangwon-ro, Yongsan-gu). In recognition of his contributions, the government posthumously awarded Lee the Presidential Order of Merit for National Foundation in 1962.

Perspective view of the Lee Bong-chang Memorial Hall

Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “We will display various photos, activity records, and related relics of Lee Bong-chang inside the memorial hall to inform residents about his life,” adding, “We will hold a completion ceremony on October 10, the 88th anniversary of his death, to establish the identity of Yongsan as a city of patriotic culture.”

The project to set the record straight on local history is one of Mayor Seong’s “signature policies.”

Since taking office as mayor in the 5th local election term in 2010, he has welcomed the New Year every January 1 by visiting the Hyochang Park Martyrs’ Shrine with district officials and local residents. Since 2011, he has continued the annual memorial ceremony for the seven patriots of Hyochangwon, and in 2017, he erected a memorial monument for activist Yu Gwan-sun at Itaewon Bugundang Historical Park.