Gwangyang City Recommends Gwangyang Concept Travel for the Month of Patriots and Veterans Affairs

In Search of the Resolve of Brother Militia Leader Maechon Hwang Hyun and the Poetic Spirit of Yun Dong-ju

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] Gwangyang City in Jeollanam-do recommended a meaningful travel experience to commemorate the spirit of the patriotic volunteer commanders brothers and Maecheon Hwang Hyun, who willingly sacrificed themselves for the country, as well as the poetic spirit of the national poet Yun Dong-ju, in honor of the Month of Patriots and Veterans.

In Bonggang-myeon, Gwangyang, there is Ssang-uisa, a memorial dedicated to the volunteer commanders brothers Kang Hee-bo and Kang Hee-yeol, who made great achievements and died in battle during the Japanese invasions of Korea (Imjin War).

When the Imjin War broke out, the two brothers fought alongside General Kim Cheon-il against 100,000 Japanese troops but tragically died in succession on June 27 and 29, 1593.

Ssang-uisa consists of Dongjae, Seojae, Sammun, and Hongsalmun, and there is a walking trail connecting the two brothers’ tombs, which are enshrined side by side halfway up the mountain, making it a good place to stroll while honoring their spirit.

In Seoksari, Bonggang-myeon, there is the birthplace and historical park of Maecheon Hwang Hyun, who, as an intellectual, deeply felt responsibility for the national humiliation of 1910 and resolutely committed suicide.

Maecheon, the last Confucian scholar of Joseon, was a literary figure who left over 2,500 poems and a meticulous historian who recorded 47 years of history. He expressed his indignation over the national humiliation by leaving four death poems and resolutely died for the country.

Meecheon’s records such as "Maecheon Yarok," "Ohagi Munmun," "Jeolmyeong Sicheop," "Yumuk·Jaryocheop," and eight items including "Maecheon Hwang Hyun’s Stationery" and "Maecheon Hwang Hyun’s Daily Relics" have been recognized for their value as anti-Japanese independence cultural heritage and designated as national registered cultural properties.

In Mangdeok Port, Jinwol-myeon, there is the Jeong Byeong-wook House (Registered Cultural Property No. 341), which preserves the handwritten poetry collection "Sky, Wind, Stars, and Poem" by Yun Dong-ju, the most beloved national poet of Koreans.

During the dark era of Japanese colonial rule, when the publication of his poetry collection was thwarted, Yun Dong-ju gave one of the three handwritten volumes of "Sky, Wind, Stars, and Poem," which he personally bound, to his cherished junior Jeong Byeong-wook.

Jeong Byeong-wook, even when conscripted as a student soldier, asked his mother living in Mangdeok Port, Gwangyang, to protect Yun Dong-ju’s poetry collection. The carefully wrapped poetry collection in a silk cloth was preserved safely inside a jar on the wooden floor.

Although Yun Dong-ju, born in Bukgando, never set foot on Gwangyang soil until his death in Fukuoka Prison in Japan, he was resurrected as an immortal poet thanks to the noble friendship of Baekyoung Jeong Byeong-wook.

At the Jeong Byeong-wook House preserving Yun Dong-ju’s manuscripts, the jar that preserved Yun Dong-ju’s handwritten poetry collection has been restored, and next to it is a copy of "Sky, Wind, Stars, and Poem."

Walking along the wooden deck at Mangdeok Port, visitors are welcomed by the Yun Dong-ju Rest Area and Poetry Garden, where 31 of Yun Dong-ju’s exquisite poems, including "Counting the Stars at Night," are commemorated with stone monuments.

Kim Seong-su, Director of Tourism, said, “In the Month of Patriots and Veterans, which honors the noble sacrifice of patriotic martyrs and war heroes, we hope visitors come to Gwangyang to trace the footsteps of the volunteer commander brothers who fought valiantly against Japanese invasion and Maecheon Hwang Hyun, who resolutely committed suicide in protest against Japanese aggression.”

He added, “We also hope visitors stop by the Jeong Byeong-wook House preserving Yun Dong-ju’s manuscripts and the poetry garden at Mangdeok Port to engrave in their hearts the noble spirit of Yun Dong-ju, who expressed the national spirit in Korean despite strict Japanese surveillance, and the admirable hearts of the people of Gwangyang who protected his work.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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