Carrying on the Legacy of Martyr Yu Gwansun... 100th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony Held

Yongsan-gu to Hold 100th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony for Yu Gwan-sun's Martyrdom on the 28th at 3 PM in Itaewon Bugundang History Park

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] “Even if my fingernails are torn off, my ears and nose are cut, and my hands and legs are broken, I can endure that pain, but I cannot bear the pain of losing my country. The only sorrow of this girl is that she has only one life to give to her country.” - Last words of Yu Gwan-sun

Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) will hold the ‘100th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony for the Martyrdom of Yu Gwan-sun’ at 3 p.m. on the 28th at Itaewon Bugundang Historical Park (Noksapyeong-daero 40da-gil 33).

The event is to honor the patriotism of the martyr.

The ceremony will last 30 minutes and proceed in the order of national anthem, introduction of guests, memorial address, flower offering and incense burning, and memorial performance. About 30 people including Yongsan District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun, the Yu Gwan-sun Memorial Association, and bereaved families are expected to attend.

Considering the COVID-19 situation, the district minimized the program and the number of attendees. The memorial address will be given by the district mayor, and flower offering and incense burning will be done together by the attendees. The memorial performance will be traditional Korean music (gugak).

Itaewon Bugundang Historical Park is located on a hill between Itaewon and Gyeongridan-gil. It is a 10-minute walk from Noksapyeong Station on Subway Line 6. The park houses Bugundang, a shaman shrine protecting the village with a history of 400 years, where folk rites are held every April and October.

The district renovated Bugundang and created the park in 2013. In 2015, a memorial monument for Yu Gwan-sun was erected in a corner of the park. The nearby road was also given the honorary name ‘Yu Gwansun-gil’.

There is a reason why the district erected the memorial here. Yu, who led the March 1st Movement in 1919 and was arrested by Japanese military police, died at the age of 18 the following year and was buried in the Itaewon Cemetery in Yongsan.

The body no longer remains. It was lost. It disappeared during the relocation of the cemetery around 1936. Currently, in Manguri Park in Jungnang-gu, there is a ‘Joint Burial Monument for Unclaimed Graves of Itaewon Cemetery,’ and Yu’s remains might be mixed there.

Although the remains are not preserved, the district erected a memorial monument on a hill overlooking the old Itaewon Cemetery and has held a memorial ceremony every year on the anniversary of Yu’s martyrdom.

Last year, a commemorative performance was held at the Garam Small Theater in Yongsan Art Hall to celebrate the upgrade of Yu Gwan-sun’s posthumous honor to the first grade (additional first-grade honor).

Yongsan District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun said, “Every year around this time, I feel deeply moved recalling Yu Gwan-sun’s pain and suffering,” and added, “The district will continue to do its best to carry on the noble spirit of the martyr.”

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