Seongjanghyeon, Yongsan District Mayor, Visits Lee Bong-chang Memorial Hall with Veterans Organization Members

On the Morning of the 28th, 40 Members of Veterans Organizations Attend On-Site Exploration at Lee Bong-chang Memorial Hall and Hyochang Park Area
...Guided by Moon Young-sook, Chairperson of the Choi Jae-hyung Memorial Foundation

Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan District (left), is touring the facility with guests at the opening ceremony of the Lee Bong-chang Activist History Echo Hall held on the 21st.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Yongsan-gu (Mayor Seong Chang-hyun) will conduct a "History Awareness Education with Veterans Organizations" on the morning of the 28th at the Lee Bong-chang Activist History Echo Hall (286-7, Hyochang-dong) and the surrounding area of Hyochang Park (177-18, Hyochangwon-ro).

The attendees will be 40 members of veterans organizations, and the program will proceed for two hours in the order of the mayor's greeting, a tour of the Lee Bong-chang History Echo Hall, and a visit to the Uiyeolsa Shrine and the graves of the seven patriotic martyrs in Hyochang Park.

The Lee Bong-chang Activist History Echo Hall opened on the 21st. It is a one-story building with a total floor area of 70㎡, equipped with an exhibition room, office, and a wooden veranda. It displays a bust of Lee Bong-chang, the "Oath of Joining the Korean Patriotic Corps," a "Letter Requesting Funds for the Operation," and other historical documents and relics (replicas).

The district secured the site through the Hyochang 4 District housing redevelopment project (currently Yongsan KCC Switzen Apartments), which includes the site of Lee Bong-chang's house, and has been continuing construction since May. Outside the building, trees such as crape myrtle and apple trees, as well as herbaceous plants, were planted to create the "Lee Bong-chang History Park."

Hyochang Park is a representative historical and veterans site of Yongsan (Historic Site No. 330). Seven patriotic martyrs?Kim Gu, Lee Bong-chang, Yun Bong-gil, Baek Jeong-gi, Lee Dong-nyeong, Jo Seong-hwan, and Cha Ri-seok?are buried here, and the Uiyeolsa Shrine, which enshrines their portraits and memorial tablets, is located within the park.

The district began opening the Uiyeolsa Shrine regularly in 2016 and uses it as a living history education site for citizens. Together with the Hyochangwon Seven Patriotic Martyrs Memorial Association, it also holds the "Uiyeolsa Seven Patriotic Martyrs Memorial Ceremony (Joint Ancestral Rite)" annually.

A district official said, "Experts including Moon Young-sook, Chairperson of the Choi Jae-hyung Memorial Foundation, will guide the site," adding, "This will be an opportunity for veterans organization members who have devoted themselves to loving the country to empathize and connect with the previous generations."

As of October, there are nine veterans organizations in Yongsan-gu. The district supports them in various ways, including operating the Veterans Hall, providing consolation money and honor allowances, awarding commendations to exemplary veterans, organizing tours of veterans sites, supporting visits to the National Cemetery, and attaching nameplates for national merit recipients.

Seong Chang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, "We will inform veterans organization members of the proud local history and remind them of the spirit of patriotism," and added, "We also ask the general public to frequently visit the Lee Bong-chang Activist History Echo Hall and the Uiyeolsa Shrine in Hyochang Park."