“They said they would never give way even in death” Ancestors’ Memorial Rites Held

Busan Chungnyeolsa Shrine, Memorial Ceremony for 93 Generals Including Song Sang-hyeon, Dongnae Magistrate Jeong Bal, and General Yun Heung-sin

The memorial ceremony held last year at Chungnyeolsa Shrine in Dongnae, Busan.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] ‘Jeonsai-gado-nan (戰死易假道難)’. It is easier to die in battle than to lend a path.

A memorial ceremony honoring the ancestors who chose death in battle while leaving behind this saying despite overwhelming military inferiority during the Imjin War will be held at 10 a.m. on the 25th at the main hall and Uiyeolgak of Chungnyeolsa in Anrak-dong, Dongnae-gu, Busan.

The Busan Chungnyeolsa Management Office announced on the 24th that it will hold the ‘Chungnyeolsa Jehyang’ to commemorate the 428th anniversary of the outbreak of the Imjin War (1592) and to honor the patriotic spirit and noble intentions of the martyrs.

About 50 people, including Byun Seong-wan, Acting Mayor of Busan, heads of various institutions, Confucian scholars of Busan, and descendants of the ancestors, will attend the event. Kim Seon-jo, Director of Planning and Coordination Office of Busan City, will serve as the Chohyeongwan (the officiant appointed by the state to conduct the ritual) and lead the ceremony. However, due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the scale of the event and the number of participants will be reduced, and public attendance will be restricted.

The ceremony will be held simultaneously at the main hall and Uiyeolgak of Chungnyeolsa, starting exactly at 10 a.m. with the declaration of the opening of the ritual. The officiants will bow, and participants will pay respects by bowing. The officiant will light incense, offer liquor, present flowers, and participants will offer incense in sequence, lasting about 40 minutes. The event of concluding the ritual with citizens at Chungnyeolsa Square and sharing the ritual food has been eliminated.

Chungnyeolsa is a memorial facility designated as Busan City Tangible Cultural Property No. 7, enshrining the spirits of 93 civil, military, and government personnel who died fighting Japanese invaders, including Dongnaebu Governor Chungnyeolgong Song Sang-hyeon, Busanjin Commander Chungjanggong Jeong Bal, and Dadaejin Commander Yun Heung-shin. Busan City holds the Chungnyeolsa Jehyang every year on May 25 to commemorate the patriotic martyrs.

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