Birthplace of Anti-Japanese Independence Activist Pastor Ju Gi-cheol Returns to Changwon City

Refusal to Worship at Japanese Shrine, Death in Prison in Pyongyang

Birthplace and Shed to Be Restored on Memorial Site

On the 4th, Changwon City in Gyeongnam signed a donation agreement for the birthplace of Pastor Ju Gi-cheol, an anti-Japanese independence activist, with the Gyeongnam Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Korea.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The Presbyterian Church of Korea Gyeongnam Presbytery is restoring the birthplace of anti-Japanese independence activist Pastor Ju Ki-cheol and donating it to Changwon City, Gyeongnam.

On the 4th, Changwon City signed an agreement with the Presbyterian Church of Korea Gyeongnam Presbytery to receive the donation of Pastor Ju Ki-cheol's birthplace.

During the Japanese colonial period, Japan deified the Emperor and sought to spiritually dominate our people by establishing shrines and forcing attendance.

Pastor Ju Ki-cheol, born in Jinhae-gu, Changwon City, led a movement refusing shrine worship, maintaining his beliefs and national consciousness, and was imprisoned several times under charges such as violating the Public Security Preservation Act.

Despite beatings and torture by the Japanese, Pastor Ju remained steadfast in his beliefs until the end and died a martyr in Pyongyang Prison in 1944. In 1963, he was posthumously awarded the Order of Independence, Republic of Korea's founding medal, as an anti-Japanese independence activist.

The Gyeongnam Presbytery plans to restore Pastor Ju's birthplace and a 50㎡ barn on the site of the Ju Ki-cheol Memorial Hall in Jinhae-gu by July this year and donate it to Changwon City.

Pastor Joo Ki-chul Memorial Hall.

The memorial hall, established to convey a correct sense of history and awaken the spirit of patriotism, has a total area of 1116㎥, two floors, and includes exhibition rooms, a video room, and a storage room. It was designated as a national veterans' facility by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs in November last year.

Mayor Heo Seong-moo expressed, "I sincerely thank the decision to restore and donate the birthplace of anti-Japanese independence activist Pastor Ju Ki-cheol," and added, "We will actively utilize it as a tourism resource that fosters patriotic spirit along with the memorial hall."

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