Independence Hall Restores Letter by Patriot Kim Jiseop and Biography from General Kim Jwajin's Public Funeral

Four letters sent by Dr. JiSeop Kim from prison to Dongsae.

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The Independence Hall of Korea announced on the 22nd that it has completed a five-month conservation treatment of the nationally registered cultural heritages, "Kim Jiseop's Letters" and the "Kim Jwajin's Funeral Biography."

"Kim Jiseop's Letters" are correspondences sent from prison by Kim Jiseop (1884?1928), a member of the militant independence group Uiyeoldan during the Japanese colonial period, after he was imprisoned for throwing a grenade at the Nijubashi Bridge at the entrance to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The letters were addressed to his younger brother and wife.

The four letters sent to his younger brother Kim Heeseop describe Kim Jiseop's composed attitude ahead of his sentencing, his concern for his imprisoned comrades, and his affection for his son. The letter to his wife, Kwon Seokhee, contains his worries about her coming to visit him in Japan and his attempts to dissuade her.

This conservation treatment was carried out because Kim Jiseop's letters had suffered damage over time, including contamination, discoloration from adhesive tape applied later, and crumbling. In particular, some of the letters to his brother Kim Heeseop had torn and missing sealed areas. Through cleaning, discoloration and contamination were removed, and scientific analysis was used to restore the missing areas' paper texture and color to match the original.

Restored General Kim Jwajin’s State Funeral Biography

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The "Kim Jwajin's Funeral Biography" is a document that was read aloud at the public funeral of independence activist Kim Jwajin (1889?1930), who died in Manchuria on January 24, 1933. It details his birth and death, activities and ideology, family relations, and other aspects of his life.

There are traces indicating that the section likely containing the identities of the reader and author was deliberately cut out, which is now seen as evidence of the oppression and conflict of the time.

Notably, the biography is 205 cm long and had reinforcement and backing paper attached to its reverse side. On this backing paper, Kim Jwajin's descendants later recorded the date of his death, the fact that his funeral lasted five days, and that the biography was read at the public funeral. Based on expert consultation, the backing paper was separated as it contributed to paper oxidation, but the recorded information was deemed historically significant and was restored along with the document.

A representative from the Independence Hall of Korea said, "We are deeply moved to have successfully preserved Kim Jiseop's letters, which reveal his unwavering resolve and humanity even in prison, and the funeral biography, which serves as evidence of the public funeral of independence hero Kim Jwajin. We will strive to make these preserved cultural heritages available to the public through exhibitions and research."

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