Hwasun-gun Restores Late Lawyer Hong Nam-sun's Birthplace... Inheriting Noble Spirit

Published 07 Jun.2022 15:26(KST)

The photo shows attendees posing for a commemorative photo at the memorial restoration cutting ceremony, including Gu Chung-gon (center), Hwasun County Governor, Kim Young-rok (fifth from the right), Jeonnam Province Governor, and Hong Ki-hoon (fourth from the right), son of lawyer Hong Nam-soon.

[Hwasun=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Ji-woon] On the 7th, Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do announced that it held a commemorative event for the restoration of the birthplace of the late lawyer Hong Nam-soon in Hyosan-ri, Dogok-myeon, Hwasun-gun.

The county invested 366 million won in the project to restore the birthplace in the form of an 84㎡ wooden thatched house, including the main building and the gatehouse.

The restoration project began in 2019 and was completed in January 2020, but the commemorative event could not be held due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The late lawyer Hong Nam-soon was born in 1913 in Hyosan-ri, Dogok-myeon, and was a ‘hero of the era’ who devoted his life to human rights and democratization as a first-generation democratization activist.

In 1963, he opened a law office in Gung-dong, Seoul, and took on the defense of conscience prisoners, earning the nickname ‘special lawyer for emergency measures.’

During the May 18 Democratization Movement, he participated in the ‘March of Death,’ was sentenced to life imprisonment, and served 1 year and 7 months in prison. After his release, he actively worked as the president of the Gwangju May 18 Detainees Association and led efforts to uncover the truth and restore the honor of the May 18 Democratization Movement.

The county plans to utilize the birthplace area as a learning space to study the history of the democratization movement, democracy, and human rights.

About 100 people attended the event hosted and organized by the county, including Gu Chung-gon, the mayor of Hwasun-gun, the bereaved family of lawyer Hong Nam-soon, officials from the Da-in Hong Nam-soon Lawyer Memorial Association, figures from various fields, and local residents.

A county official said, “Lawyer Hong Nam-soon was a first-generation democratization activist who embodied the belief that ‘it is better to live in hardship doing what is right than to live well doing what is wrong,’ and a true righteous person. We restored the birthplace on the site to remember and carry on his will and spirit.”

He added, “This place will be preserved and utilized as a learning site that conveys the noble spirit of democracy and human rights and as a precious historical asset to be passed down to future generations. We hope this event will be an opportunity to honor and continue the noble will of the teacher.”