Naju City Hosts the 11th Uibyeong Day Commemoration Ceremony

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Han-hyuk] Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Kang In-gyu) announced on the 2nd that it held the ‘11th Uibyeong Day’ commemorative ceremony hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety at Geumseonggwan on the 1st.

‘Uibyeong Day’ was designated as a legal commemorative day in 2010 to awaken the historical value of the Uibyeong who took the lead in defending the country and to inherit the patriotic spirit. Since then, the host city is selected through a public contest every year, and the ceremony is held on June 1st.

Prior to the main ceremony, the city designated the period from the 16th of last month to the 1st (17 days) as Uibyeong Memorial Week and operated various experience programs, education, exhibitions, and promotional booths around Geumseonggwan to highlight the meaning of Uibyeong Day and the lives of the Uibyeong.

The event opened with a ‘Let’s All Depart, Uibyeong!’ ceremony by the Citizen Uibyeong Corps composed of 35 citizen representatives, held simultaneously with a YouTube live broadcast, followed by a special performance by singer Jang Sa-ik and a letter reading addressed to the Uibyeong ancestors.

The letter expressing gratitude for the patriotic loyalty of the Uibyeong ancestors was read by Park So-young, a 6th-grade student at Bitnuri Elementary School and winner of the 5th Baekho Imje Children’s Writing Contest held under the theme ‘Love for the Country.’ The event was further moved by a solo performance of the national anthem by Kim Ye-ha, a member of the Naju City Children’s Choir.

The event was attended by Lee Jae-young, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety; Song Sang-rak, Vice Governor of Jeollanam-do; Shin Jeong-hoon, Member of the National Assembly; Jang Seok-woong, Superintendent of Jeollanam-do Office of Education; and 99 related officials from Uibyeong clans and organizations, limited to fewer than 100 people due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Mayor Kang In-gyu said, “I feel very honored to commemorate Uibyeong Day at Geumseonggwan, where the first Uibyeong commander of Honam, Kim Cheon-il, courageously raised his troops during the Imjin War in 1592,” adding, “Thanks to the righteous spirit and noble sacrifice of our ancestors, Naju has become a city representing Honam’s spirit of righteous volunteers.”

He continued, “The Uibyeong spirit is a unique characteristic of the Korean people that should be nationally commemorated and passed down to future generations,” and added, “We will establish our own Uibyeong Day and hold annual commemorative ceremonies to inherit the noble spirit of the Uibyeong.”

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