Gumi City Hosts Descendants to Commemorate the 115th Anniversary of Martyrdom of Wangsan Heowi

3 Nights 4 Days Schedule, Inviting 13 People from 4 Countries Including Russia and Kyrgyzstan

Memorial Ceremony, Health Checkup, City Tour, and Visit to Gongsul Sungjodang to Pay Respects to Heoroja Yeosa

Gumi City in Gyeongbuk is holding various programs over a 3-night, 4-day schedule starting from the 19th, inviting 13 descendants from home and abroad to commemorate the 115th anniversary of the martyrdom of Wangsan Heo Wi, a representative independence activist of the region.

Spring Memorial Ceremony for the 168th Anniversary of Wangsan Heo Wi's Birth in April 2023.

The visiting descendants include 10 overseas descendants residing in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Canada, and other countries, and 3 domestic descendants, totaling 13 people from 4 countries. Vladislav Heo (grandson of Heo Wi), who was specially naturalized in 2006, lived in Korea for 2 years, and returned to Kyrgyzstan in 2011, will visit Gumi again.

Heo Wi (1855?1908), a leader of the righteous army during the late Joseon Dynasty, was born in Im-eun-dong, Gumi City, and served as the military commander of the 13 Provinces Uprising Army. He was executed as the first death row inmate at Seodaemun Prison on October 21, 1908. In 1962, the Republic of Korea posthumously awarded him the Order of Merit for National Foundation in recognition of his contributions.

The family of Wangsan Heo Wi, along with the families of Udang Lee Hoe-young and Seokju Lee Sang-ryong, is known as one of the three great families dedicated to the independence movement over three generations, producing numerous anti-Japanese activists.

The descendants will arrive in Gumi on the 19th, participate in health checkups and a city tour (visiting President Park Chung-hee’s birthplace, Park Chung-hee Presidential Historical Museum, Nongshim Gumi Factory, and Samsung Electronics Smart City) on the 20th, and attend a welcome dinner hosted by the city.

Barunyu Hospital, which supports the health checkups, has been leading various sponsorship activities including ▲receiving the 1st Gumi City Social Contribution Award (Director Yoo Sang-sang) ▲joining the first couple members of the Gumi Honor Society (Gumi No. 8 Director Yoo Sang-sang, Gumi No. 10 Director Kim Jeong-jin) ▲volunteering for sharing briquettes of love ▲providing scholarships to low-income families.

On the 21st, the descendants will attend the 115th anniversary autumn memorial service and commemorative performance for Wangsan Heo Wi’s martyrdom, and pay respects to Mrs. Heo Ro-ja (the second daughter of Heo Hak, Wangsan Heo Wi’s eldest son), who was enshrined in the Gumi Public Ancestral Hall in 2022. The descendants will conclude their schedule and depart on the 22nd.

The autumn memorial service, which started in 2016 and is now in its 8th year, will be held at 10 a.m. at the Gyeonginsa Shrine in the Wangsan Heo Wi Memorial Hall, hosted by the Wangsan Memorial Association (Chairman Kim Young-dong). This year’s second commemorative performance will be held at 11:30 a.m. in the memorial hall parking lot, hosted by the Gumi Branch of the Liberation Association (Branch Chief Kim Young-soo).

The Wangsan Heo Wi Memorial Hall exhibits a copy of Wangsan’s portrait. Since the actual appearance of Wangsan is not known, Mira Heo, who studied art in Russia, painted the portrait based on descriptions from relatives.

Mira Heo (great-granddaughter, residing in Russia), who is visiting Gumi this time, plans to donate the original portrait of Heo Wi. She is always grateful to Gumi City for doing her best to honor her great-grandfather and wishes to express her gratitude by donating the artwork on this occasion.

Mayor Kim Jang-ho expressed his gratitude to Mira Heo for donating the original portrait and said, “We will strive to develop various programs that awaken love for the country and patriotism in future generations so that the independent spirit of Wangsan Heo Wi will be remembered for generations to come.”

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