'Meeting Former Directors of the Independence Hall' Kim Dong-yeon: "I Will Build a World-Class Independence Hall"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon (front row, right) is taking a commemorative photo on the 26th at Dodamso in Paldal-gu, Suwon, with Lee Jong-chan, the current president of the Liberation Association (front row, center), and former directors of the Independence Hall.

The construction of the Gyeonggi-do Independence Hall is expected to gain momentum.

On the 26th, Gyeonggi-do Governor Kim Dong-yeon held a luncheon meeting at ‘Dodamso,’ the former Gyeonggi-do governor’s residence in Paldal-gu, Suwon, inviting Lee Jong-chan, President of the Liberation Association, and former Independence Hall directors Kim Sam-woong and Han Si-jun. At the meeting, former Independence Hall directors publicly expressed their support for Gyeonggi-do’s initiative to build an Independence Hall, according to Gyeonggi-do.

At the luncheon, former Independence Hall director Kim Sam-woong introduced, "In France, there are over a hundred Resistance memorial halls," and added, "There was a gisaeng independence activist named ‘Kim Hyang-hwa’ in Suwon. During the March 1st Movement in 1919, she led the independence movement declaring ‘I am a daughter of Joseon,’ was imprisoned, and later went missing."

He further advised, "Even among the lowest social class of gisaengs, there were independence activists, and even among the butcher caste, there were independence fighters. I hope the grassroots independence movement of the March 1st Movement will be included in the Gyeonggi-do Independence Hall."

Former Independence Hall director Han Si-jun evaluated the initiative as a "historic event," and said, "There is too little time to learn about the independence movement in the education curriculum, so we inevitably rely on social education. Although there is an Independence Hall in Cheonan, the more memorial halls there are, the better to raise the level of independence movement education for the entire nation. I am very pleased that Gyeonggi-do is taking the lead."

Governor Kim Dong-yeon expressed his gratitude and responded, "Like in France, our Gyeonggi-do will carefully uncover each independence story and surely commemorate them."

In particular, the attendees agreed on the future direction of Gyeonggi-do’s Independence Hall construction to ▲ closely cooperate with the Liberation Association, ▲ preserve the symbolic value of the Cheonan Independence Hall, and ▲ build a world-class premium Independence Hall that spans generations globally by integrating new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

Lee Jong-chan, President of the Liberation Association, said, "The governor visited the Liberation Association at the right time (on the 29th of last month) and gave us great courage, which surprised the members," and expressed his hope that "the Independence Hall will not be just a building but become a world-class premium memorial hall like the mecca of independence movement history."

Governor Kim Dong-yeon said, "It is fortunate to have someone like President Lee Jong-chan during these turbulent times," and added, "We will not simply build a building. We will lead the changes in exhibition culture and industry, upgrade the content, and create a space that is both new media and eco-friendly. It will also serve as a mecca for training curators and creators, making it a memorial hall that visitors will want to come back to."

The luncheon featured a ‘Table of Independence Fighters’ prepared by Chef Yoo Myung-gon of Dodamso, including ▲ bamboo rice balls eaten by Kim Gu while evading Japanese oppression for five years ▲ Guobaorou (fried pork) eaten by Ahn Jung-geun in Harbin ▲ seafood stew eaten by Seo Young-hae during his diplomatic independence activities in France ▲ flat tofu stir-fry served by Oh Geon-hae, wife of independence activist Shin Geon-sik and also an independence activist herself, to provisional government officials ▲ and chongyubyeong (Chinese-style scallion pancake) enjoyed by Ji Bok-young (daughter of General Ji Cheong-cheon), who was active as a female liberation army member and called the ‘Joan of Arc of Korea.’

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