Closure of Yun Dong-ju's Birthplace in China... Park Min-sik Calls It "Petty Meanness"

Closure of Yun Dong-ju's Birthplace Following Ahn Jung-geun Exhibition
Possible Measure Amid Deteriorating Korea-China Relations

Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-sik strongly criticized China on the 6th for the closure of the exhibition room dedicated to independence activist Ahn Jung-geun and the birthplace of poet Yun Dong-ju.

On the same day, Minister Park wrote on his Facebook, "No matter how strained neighborly relations may be, there are boundaries that must be respected."

He pointed out, "Not carefully handling absolute heroes of the Republic of Korea like the living Ahn Jung-geun and Yun Dong-ju in a neighboring country, who live on as an undying flame in the hearts of our people, is petty and trivial compared to the pride China boasts by saying 'Zhongguo ren hen da' (China is really big). Such behavior cannot escape criticism."

He continued, "Since Deng Xiaoping, every Chinese leader has emphasized 'Qiutong Cunyi' (seeking common ground while reserving differences), which means recognizing differences and pursuing common interests. Looking at China today, it seems to be taking the path of 'Qiuyi Qu Tong' (seeking differences and discarding commonalities), a narrow-minded and petty approach, which is regrettable."

The Chinese government recently closed the Ahn Jung-geun exhibition room in the L?shun Prison Museum and the birthplace of poet Yun Dong-ju.

The Ahn Jung-geun exhibition room was established in 2009 with permission from Chinese authorities by the then Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (now the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs), but it has been closed since April.

According to the Korean Consulate General in Shenyang and local Korean residents, the birthplace of Yun Dong-ju in Mingdong Village, Longjing (龍井), Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, China, was also closed around the 10th of last month.

Yun Dong-ju was born there in December 1917 and lived there until he was 15 years old. The birthplace was demolished in 1981 and restored in 1994 under the supervision of the Korean Studies Center at Yanbian University.

As a result, two confirmed Korean independence movement heritage sites in China have been closed simultaneously. Local authorities have only stated that the closures are due to internal repairs and have not disclosed the exact reasons for the closure or the reopening schedule.

Yonhap News reported that this may be a measure taken amid the recent deterioration of relations between Korea and China, and that the increase in Korean tourists visiting Yun Dong-ju’s birthplace might have raised concerns about the reemergence of controversies over Yun Dong-ju’s nationality designation.

When restoring Yun Dong-ju’s birthplace in 2012, Chinese authorities erected a monument at the entrance inscribed with "Chinese Korean Ethnic Patriotic Poet," and the Chinese portal Baidu Encyclopedia also listed Yun Dong-ju’s nationality as "Chinese," which sparked controversy.

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