'Toegye Yi Hwang Return Journey Reenactment' Attendee Kim Dong-yeon: "I Will Embrace the Spirit of the Sage in My Path"

Text and photo posted by Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, on his SNS on the 30th

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon recently stated that South Korea is engaged in an endless battle of hatred and promised to do his best to incorporate the spirit and teachings of two masters, Toegye Yi Hwang and Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, into the Gyeonggi provincial administration.

On the 30th, Governor Kim posted on his social media service (SNS) an article titled "We will embody the spirit of the two sages in Gyeonggi Province administration," saying, "A meaningful procession retracing the footsteps of Toegye Yi Hwang passed through Gyeonggi Province," and added, "With joy, I visited Joan-myeon, Namyangju, the hometown of Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, to welcome the procession."

He continued, "Dasan admired Toegye’s achievements and philosophy and followed him in cultivating his scholarship," defining it as "learning and teaching beyond time and space, so-called 'sasuk (private admiration).'"

In particular, he said, "'Dosan Sasukrok (陶山私淑錄)' is the scholarly result of Dasan’s private admiration of Toegye," and added, "Likewise, I have followed and privately admired Dasan’s spirit of 'silsa gusi (實事求是)' (seeking truth from facts)."

Furthermore, he emphasized, "If we define the philosophy of the two sages, Toegye and Dasan, in one phrase, it is 'living together.' Seeing the recent state of our society, which has lost this spirit and is engaged in an endless battle of hatred, I believe that the spirit of the two, who cared for the lives of the people beyond political strife and confrontation and sought answers, is the very ideology and philosophy that permeates our society today."

He also promised, "I will always do my best to bring the spirit and teachings of the two masters into the Gyeonggi provincial administration."

Earlier, the "Reenactment of Toegye Yi Hwang’s Last Journey Home" event began on the 27th at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. It is an event where participants retrace the 700-ri path that Toegye traveled from Seoul to Dosan Seowon in Andong, Gyeongbuk, ending on the 4th of next month.