Yoon Sangwon Memorial Hall Announces Special Exhibition "Songs That Made the Republic"

'Songs That Created the Republic of Korea' Event Guide Poster. Photo by Yoon Sangwon Memorial Hall

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The Yoon Sangwon Memorial Hall (Cheondong Village Democracy Community Center) will hold a special exhibition titled "Songs That Made the Republic" to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Liberation and the 45th anniversary of the 5·18 Democratization Movement, revisiting these milestones through songs sung by independence fighters during the Japanese colonial period and by citizen militias in May 1980.

This exhibition will be held in the special exhibition hall of the Yoon Sangwon Memorial Hall from August 14, 2025, until March 1, 2026. It will focus on songs and sheet music sung by the people who resisted Japanese colonial rule and military dictatorship.

The exhibition consists of two parts. Part 1, "Aspirations for Independence in Song," will feature representative anti-Japanese songs and sheet music such as "Independence Army Song," "Yongjingga," and "March of the Amnok River."

In particular, the exhibition will introduce the first volume of "Songs of the Liberation Army," which was designated as a National Registered Cultural Heritage in 2011, as well as Han Hyungseok, the independence activist who led the compilation of this songbook.

Part 2, "The Longing for Freedom Alive in Melody," will revisit the democratic aspirations of May 1980 through songs sung by citizens during the uprising. Representative protest songs frequently sung in the streets during the May uprising, such as "Hula Song (Song of Justice)," "So As Not to Be Shaken," and "Our Wish Is Unification," will be introduced.

Additionally, the exhibition will include songs sung by citizens who took to the streets in opposition to the declaration of martial law in 2024 and 2025, such as "March for the Beloved," "Into the New World," and "Young You."

Meanwhile, instead of a conventional opening ceremony, the exhibition will begin with an opening concert planned as part of the exhibition-linked program. At the opening concert, scheduled for 2 p.m. on August 14, singer Ryu Uinam and the folk band Badak Project will perform anti-Japanese songs sung by independence fighters, protest songs sung by citizen militias in May 1980, and songs sung by citizens in public squares in 2024 and 2025.

Ji Byungmun, director of the Yoon Sangwon Memorial Hall, stated, "This exhibition is a special occasion to remember through song the declaration that 'the people are the true owners of the nation.' Songs were the voice of the era, and even today, they remain a living echo of resistance by our side. I hope the aspirations cherished by independence fighters, citizen militias, and citizens in the squares will be vividly conveyed to visitors."

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