Gwangju City Installs Condemnation Plaque at Japanese Shrine 'Songjeong Park Geumseonsa'

Mayor Lee Yong-seop "Also Promoting Cleanup of Remaining Debris on Private Land"

On the morning of the 13th, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, attended the unveiling ceremony of the indictment document for the eradication of pro-Japanese remnants at the entrance of Geumseonsa Temple in Songjeong Park, Gwangsan-gu. He took a commemorative photo with guests including Jang Hwi-guk, Superintendent of the City Education Office, Kim Sam-ho, Mayor of Gwangsan-gu, and members of the Liberation Association. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the morning of the 13th that it held a plaque unveiling ceremony condemning the remnants of Japanese colonial rule at Geumseonsa Shrine in Songjeong Park, a Shinto shrine from the Japanese colonial period.

This plaque unveiling ceremony is the second, following the historic monument at Gwangju Park in August last year.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by Mayor Lee Yong-seop, Gwangju Superintendent of Education Jang Hwi-guk, Gwangsan District Mayor Kim Sam-ho, members of the Liberation Association, and members of the task force dedicated to eradicating pro-Japanese remnants. The event proceeded with a commemorative speech, reading of the condemnation statement, unveiling of the plaque condemning Japanese remnants, and on-site inspection of pro-Japanese relics.

Notably, during the national ceremony at the unveiling, the ‘Dreaming Art Troupe’ sang the ‘Patriotic Song’ that independence fighters sang during the Japanese occupation while engaging in armed resistance.

The Geumseonsa Shrine in Songjeong Park, where the ceremony was held, was established by Japan in 1941 during the colonial period to emphasize the unity of Japan and Korea and to reform the spirit of Koreans. It is currently the only remaining wooden shrine building of its kind nationwide.

The newly installed plaque records the activities of pro-Japanese figures based on objective materials such as the Dictionary of Pro-Japanese Collaborators published by the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities.

This year, Gwangju installed plaques at six locations with 21 remnants, including ▲ Wonhyosa Temple Songhwa-style stupa monument ▲ Seo Jeong-ju’s poem monument ‘Looking at Mudeung’ in Neoritjae Infant Forest Park ▲ nameplates of Jeong Bong-hyeon, Yeo Gyu-hyeong, Nam Gi-yun, and Jeong Yun-su hung near Yangpajeong in Sajik Park ▲ nameplates of Shin Cheol-gyun and Nam Gye-ryong installed at Suphyanggak in Seha-dong ▲ the underground cave of the Gwangju Student Independence Movement Memorial Hall ▲ and remnants remaining in Songjeong Park such as Chamgye, Shinmok, Chamdo, stone lantern pedestal, stairs in front of Daeungjeon Hall, Sinjusa Office, power distribution, and the Wooden Amitabha Pagoda.

Gwangju expects that the installation of these plaques will serve as an opportunity to reflect on the past 100 years of the Republic of Korea and prepare for the next 100 years.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop stated, “Following the installation of condemnation plaques on remnants such as Geumseonsa Shrine in Songjeong Park, the only remaining shrine building in the country, from next year we will continue the cleanup work of pro-Japanese remnants on private property through consultations with the owners. I hope that the 1.5 million citizens of Gwangju will join this great journey to set history right and open a just and prosperous future.”

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