Gwangju Nam-gu Installs Independence Movement Monument in Juwol-dong

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (District Mayor Kim Byeong-nae) announced on the 24th that it will hold the "Gwangbok Village Origin Monument and Independence Movement Achievement Monument Unveiling Ceremony" at the Juwol-dong Pureun-gil Gwangbokchon Square on the 26th to widely publicize the origin of Gwangbok Village in Juwol-dong and the merits of the independence activists who lived there.

The installation of the Gwangbok Village Origin Monument and Independence Movement Achievement Monument is based on a proposal from a resident living in Juwol 1-dong last year. Since then, Nam-gu has conducted historical research and surveys on Gwangbok Village and independence patriots, leading to the installation of the monuments in this village.

According to the research report, Gwangbokchon was established from 1976 between Seonmyeong School at the foot of Geumdangsan Mountain and Pureun-gil Park, where the old Gyeongjeon Line railroad was located.

At that time, the government needed a large area of land to create Gwangbokchon. Although there was a plan to build it in Sotae-dong, Dong-gu, where the village for war veterans was located, it is known that Juwol-dong, mostly consisting of rice paddies and fields, was chosen due to opposition from members of the Gwangbokhoe (Liberation Association).

In Gwangbokchon, twelve high-end houses in the style of Italian buildings were built, each about 24 pyeong (approximately 79.3 square meters) in size. The cost to build each house at that time was about 2 million won, of which the government supported 500,000 won, and the remaining 1 million won and 500,000 won were covered by loans and self-payment, respectively.

Because of this, some independence patriots who had financial difficulties rented out or sold their houses due to worries about loans and self-payment, even after being allocated a house.

The independence patriots who moved into Gwangbokchon included Choi Bong-jin, who served in the Liberation Army and conducted communication activities with the Provisional Government, as well as Yoon Chang-ha and Song Dong-sik, key figures in the Gwangju Student Independence Movement. It is also understood that Jo Gil-ryong, who participated in the Gwangju Student Independence Movement, lived nearby.

Additionally, descendants of Sim Nam-il, a militia leader in the late Joseon period, Lee Hong-bin, who organized the Dahyeokdang (茶革黨) for Korean independence, and Kim Dong-hoon, who was imprisoned for the March 1st Movement, also lived together in Gwangbokchon.

Currently, the house where independence patriot Yoon Chang-ha lived is the only one preserved in its original form in Gwangbokchon.

A Nam-gu official said, "This will be a good opportunity to remember the courage and achievements of the independence patriots who will be remembered in history and to learn the noble spirit of those who sacrificed for the country and the nation."

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