[Interview] Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, "Reestablishing the Status of 'City of Patriotic Martyrs' through the Opening of Lee Bong-chang Memorial Hall"

Opening of Lee Bong-chang Memorial Hall on the 21st and Continued Promotion of Yongsan History Restoration Project

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] "Eung Chang Lee was posthumously awarded the Presidential Order of Merit for the Founding of the Republic of Korea in 1962. It is heartbreaking that he received the second-class award instead of the first-class 'Republic of Korea Medal,' and the recognition befitting his achievements has been severely lacking."

Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, explained the background of the construction of the Lee Bong-chang History Resonance Hall as follows. The Lee Bong-chang History Resonance Hall is a major pledge project of Mayor Seong during the 7th local government term. It was built on land donated through the housing redevelopment project of Hyochang 4 District (currently Yongsan KCC Switzen Apartments), which includes the site of the patriot's house. The building is a hanok-style structure with a wooden veranda, and the surrounding area is designed as a historical park. The name was decided through a public contest among district residents.

Yongsan-gu is promoting various projects to honor the spirits of the patriotic martyrs and continue their legacy. Referring to the words of Danchae Shin Chae-ho, "A nation that forgets its past has no future," Mayor Seong emphasized, "There are many traces of modern and contemporary history throughout Yongsan. We will reestablish Yongsan's status as a city of patriotic martyrs."

The district also held a memorial ceremony on September 28, the anniversary of the death of Yu Gwan-sun. Based on historical records that state the martyr was buried in the Itaewon communal cemetery and later lost, a memorial monument was erected in 2015 at the Itaewon Bugundang Historical Park, and a memorial ceremony is held annually on the anniversary of her death. Mayor Seong stated, "As a result of advocating for raising Yu Gwan-sun's posthumous honor, which had remained at the third class, it was elevated to the highest class, the Republic of Korea Medal, last year. Lee Bong-chang should also be posthumously awarded the first-class honor."

The Yongsan History Museum project is also accelerating. The old railway hospital is being remodeled and is scheduled to open in 2022. In the long term, there are plans to designate a historical and cultural museum special zone. This is a strategic move to secure urban growth momentum in the cultural tourism market amid the era of 20 million overseas tourists. The district plans to link the special zone designation with existing museum infrastructure, including the Yongsan Museum, National Museum of Korea, National Hangeul Museum, War Memorial of Korea, as well as the Leeum Art Museum and Yongsan Craft Museum. Mayor Seong emphasized, "Once the U.S. military base relocates and Yongsan Park is established in its place, Yongsan will truly stand shoulder to shoulder with the world's leading cities as a historical and cultural tourism city."