Yeosu Geomundo Modern History and Culture Space to Become a National Registered Cultural Heritage

"'I Won't Die Even If I Die' Min Young-hwan's Will"

'Yeosu Geomundo Modern History and Culture Space' and 'Min Young-hwan's Last Will (Business Card)' have taken a significant step toward being registered as National Registered Cultural Heritage. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 11th that it will collect opinions from various sectors for a month and decide on the registration after deliberation by the Cultural Heritage Committee.

Located in Geomun-ri, Samsan-myeon, Yeosu City, the Geomundo Modern History and Culture Space is an area where modern and contemporary historical and cultural resources are concentrated. It includes the former Samsan-myeon Council Hall in Geomundo, which reflects the implementation of local autonomy after liberation, and the 'Yeosu Geomundo Undersea Communication Facility' connecting Shanghai and Geomundo. There are also historical traces of the British illegal occupation of Geomundo in 1885 to check Russia's advance into Joseon, as well as heritage sites preserving the modern lifestyle of fishing villages scattered throughout the area.

Min Young-hwan's last will is a business card inscribed with a will written by the independence activist Chungjeonggong Min Young-hwan (1861?1905) at the time of his martyrdom in opposition to the Eulsa Treaty, urging 20 million compatriots to awaken. The will, densely written in pencil on both sides of the business card, is famous for phrases such as 'Farewell to the 20 million compatriots of the Korean Empire' and 'Though I die, I do not perish (死而不死).' The family preserved it in an envelope and donated it to the Korea University Museum in 1958.

The Cultural Heritage Administration explained, "It possesses outstanding documentary and cultural heritage value that conveys the spirit of Min Chungjeonggong, who committed suicide for the country, to future generations," and added, "It is necessary to register it as a National Registered Cultural Heritage for preservation and management."