Gwangju Seo-gu Holds Unveiling Ceremony for Local Cultural Heritage No. 2 Designation Plaque

Published 07 Nov.2022 15:45(KST)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shin Dong-ho] Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Yi-gang) announced on the 7th that it held a plaque unveiling ceremony for the designation of Seo-gu Local Cultural Heritage No. 2 at Byeokjin Seowon.

Seo-gu was designated as Seo-gu Local Cultural Heritage No. 2 in January last year after deliberation by the Seo-gu Local Cultural Heritage Promotion Committee, but due to COVID-19, the unveiling ceremony could not be held until now.

Byeokjin Seowon is a seowon (Confucian academy) established to commemorate Hoejae Park Gwang-ok, who set up a militia office in Gwangju during the Imjin War and worked hard to recruit militia and procure military supplies. It houses his portrait and memorial tablets.

This place stores the Hoejae Yu-jip woodblocks, designated as City Tangible Cultural Property No. 23, and is recognized as an important cultural heritage as it is the only seoeak shrine, Uiryeolsa, in Seo-gu.

It was originally built as Byeokjin Sau in Byeokjin-dong in 1602, renamed to its current name in 1604, and in 1681, while commemorating General Kim Deok-ryeong, it received the seoeak title of Uiryeolsa from King Sukjong.

Although it was demolished in 1868 due to the Seowon Abolishment Order, it was preserved by reestablishing Unri Yeongdang in Pungam-dong in 1927, relocated and restored to its current location in 1999 due to urban development plans, and reopened as Byeokjin Seowon in 2018.

Seo-gu plans to spare no support to inform residents about local cultural heritage, including hosting the Hoejae Park Gwang-ok academic conference next year.

A Seo-gu official said, “Following Local Cultural Heritage No. 1 Haksan-sa Gyeonguidang and No. 2 Byeokjin Seowon, we are preparing to discover the third heritage next year to ensure that the region’s precious cultural heritage is preserved and passed down.”

Meanwhile, the Byeokjin Seowon Preservation Association (representative Park Yi-chae), which manages Byeokjin Seowon, is conducting various educational and cultural projects to practice the educational philosophy of Hoejae Park Gwang-ok.