"Even If I Die, I Will Not Die and Will Help" Min Young-hwan's Will Designated as National Registered Cultural Heritage

"Historical Materials Conveying the Spirit of Min Chungjeonggong to Future Generations"
'Hongjae Diary' and 'Bupyeong Mitsubishi Row Houses' Registration Notice

"By dying once, I repay the emperor's grace and apologize to our 20 million compatriot brothers. However, even in death, I will not truly die, and I will surely help you from the underground. Fellow compatriots, strengthen your willpower a thousandfold, devote yourselves to learning, help each other with one heart, and unite your strength to restore our freedom and independence."

This is the content of the will of Chungjeonggong Min Young Hwan (1861?1905), a diplomat of the Korean Empire and independence activist. The title is 'Farewell to the 20 Million Compatriots of the Korean Empire.' He opposed the Eulsa Treaty and urged compatriots to regain freedom and independence. Unable to overcome his righteous indignation, he committed suicide at his family home.

The evidence of his resistance through death is managed as a national registered cultural heritage. On the 13th, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced that it will systematically preserve and manage the 'Min Young Hwan Will' together with its owner, Korea University Museum. An official stated, "It is a historical document and cultural heritage that can inform future generations of the urgent situation at the time of his martyrdom and the spirit of Min Chungjeonggong (an honorific title for Min Young Hwan)."

The will was written on a widely used business card (6x9.2 cm) even today. The front side bears 'Army Deputy General, First Rank, Grand Order of Merit Min Young Hwan (陸軍副將正一品大勳位閔泳煥)', and the back side shows the English name 'Min Young Hwan' and the Korean name '민영환.' Min Young Hwan densely wrote a call to awaken on both sides in pencil. The family, who found the will inside Min Young Hwan’s collar, kept it in an envelope and donated it to Korea University Museum in 1958.

This is the second time Min Young Hwan’s relics have been registered as national registered cultural heritage. Last year, his Western-style military uniform worn during his lifetime was first recognized for its value. It consists of fourteen items and seventeen pieces, including a hat, upper and lower garments, estimated to have been made between 1897 and 1900. Most components such as the ceremonial hat (예모, a formal hat worn with ceremonial dress), grand ceremonial robe (대례의, upper garment), and small ceremonial epaulets (소례 견장, shoulder insignia on the uniform) are included according to the revised 'Army Soldier Uniform Regulations.'

Meanwhile, on the same day, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced the preliminary registration of 'Hongjae Diary' and 'Bupyeong Mitsubishi Row House' as national registered cultural heritage. The Hongjae Diary consists of seven volumes written by scholar Gi Haeng-hyeon from Buan County, Jeollabuk-do, from age 23 (1866) to 68 (1911). It records the date of the Baeksan Assembly during the Donghak Peasant Revolution (a large-scale mass rally marking the start of the Donghak Peasant Revolution) as March 26, 1894, lunar calendar, which had not been previously revealed.

An official from the Cultural Heritage Administration explained, "It also contains records of price fluctuations, droughts, and taxes over about 30 years from 1866 until the outbreak of the Donghak Peasant Revolution in 1894," adding, "It is evaluated as an important historical document illuminating the social changes and historical events in Buan from the late 19th century to the early 20th century."

The Bupyeong Mitsubishi Row House was a place where Korean workers mobilized by Mitsubishi Steelworks during the Japanese colonial period lived together. The preliminary registered area covers thirty-four plots (1,329㎡) in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City. It has been called 'Row House' because multiple units are lined up like row houses.

An official from the Cultural Heritage Administration added, "Even after liberation, it was used as residential space for various social classes including urban workers," and explained, "Traces of life remain in various forms, which has been recognized for its value in terms of history and residential history."

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