Detailed Records of Son's Independence Movement, Mrs. Jo Sun-nam Restores 'Kim Seung-tae Manse Activist'

National Archives Restores Jangyu Manse Movement Records Over Three Months to Commemorate March 1st Movement Day

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The National Archives announced on the 25th that it has restored 'Kim Seung-tae Manse Movement Song,' a record of the independence movement in Gimhae City, to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the March 1st Movement.

'Kim Seung-tae Manse Movement Song' was recorded in the form of Naebanggasa by Jo Soon-nam, the mother of Kim Seung-tae who led the Jangyu Manse Movement, documenting the realities she personally witnessed and experienced over the course of a year. The song consists of a total of 37 pages and details the development process of the Jangyu Manse Movement, the Japanese mounted police's arrest, imprisonment and trial process, the atmosphere after release, and other urgent situations at the time. In particular, the section titled ‘The Reality of the Jangyu Manse Movement and the Arrest by the Mounted Police’ contains vivid scenes of the brutal deaths caused by Japanese police violence and the desperate sight of enraged citizens being tied with wire and dragged away.

Professor Lee Hong-sook, an adjunct professor at Changwon National University, commented on the record, saying, “As a woman of her time, Jo Soon-nam’s exceptional historical consciousness surpasses the typical genre of Naebanggasa, which usually focuses on women’s daily lives,” and added, “In this regard, the Manse Movement Song holds a distinct and high literary value.”

The restoration of the Kim Seung-tae Manse Movement Song was completed after about three months of restoration processing, following a restoration support request from Gimhae City to the National Archives in May last year. Over the past decade, the National Archives has been providing customized restoration and reproduction support services for damaged important records held by private and public institutions with limited professional personnel and budgets.

The restored Kim Seung-tae Manse Movement Song can be viewed in its original text on the National Archives website and will also be made available on the website of its holding institution, Gimhae City Hall.

Choi Jae-hee, Director of the National Archives, said, “It is meaningful to restore the records of the Jangyu area Manse Movement, which rose up together for the country’s independence on the occasion of the March 1st Movement anniversary,” and added, “I hope this restoration of records, recognized not only for their historical significance but also for their literary value, will serve as a precious opportunity to reflect on the noble spirit and meaning of the independence movement.”

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