Hosaka Yuji "Part of Bukhansan in Gyeonggi Province Should Be Restored to Seoul... Eradicate Japanese Remnants"

Japanese Empire Renamed Hanseongbu to Gyeongseongbu, Reducing Its Scope... Restoration of Former Hanseongbu Jurisdiction Needed

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Professor Hosaka Yuji of Sejong University, an expert on Korea-Japan relations, pointed out that the inclusion of part of Bukhansan in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, is a remnant of Japanese colonial rule and a problem that needs to be resolved.

On the 11th, Professor Hosaka held a press conference at Dalgaebi in Jung-gu, Seoul, stating, "After liberation, Seoul mostly restored the boundaries of Hanseongbu, but part of Bukhansan still remains under the jurisdiction of Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province."

He added, "Japan viewed Bukhansan as a base for independence activists and the Righteous Army," and emphasized, "To restore the status and affiliation of Bukhansan, which was damaged during the Japanese colonial period, the entire Bukhansan should be returned to the jurisdiction of Seoul."

Bukhansan spans administrative districts including Seoul, Goyang City, Yangju City, and Uijeongbu City in Gyeonggi Province. Among the three peaks of Bukhansan, Baegundae and Insu Peak are administratively part of Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province. Changing administrative districts is under the authority of the Minister of the Interior and Safety.

In the past, Joseon regarded Bukhansan as the center of the nation. The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty recorded that Samgaksan was the central mountain of Hanseongbu and the central peak among the five sacred mountains (Oak) of the country. Professor Hosaka emphasized, "The kings of the Joseon Dynasty regarded Bukhansan as the central mountain of the nation," adding, "It belonged to Hanseongbu during the Joseon and Imperial eras, was the ancestral mountain of Seoul, and the center of Joseon and the Korean Empire."

After Japan annexed the Korean Empire by imperial decree of the Japanese emperor in August 1910, it appointed a Governor-General of Joseon and renamed Hanseongbu to Keij?-fu in 2014, reducing its size to about one-fifth. Although most areas were restored after liberation in 1945, part of Bukhansan has still not regained its former affiliation with Hanseongbu.

Professor Hosaka said, "Even if part of Bukhansan currently under Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, is returned to Seoul's jurisdiction, there will be no land disputes because it is a national park," and added, "Clearing the remnants of Japanese colonial rule should be prioritized."

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