80th Anniversary of Manhae Han Yong-un's Passing... Seongbuk-gu Hosts Various Memorial Events

Memorial Ceremony for the 80th Anniversary of Manhae Han Yong-un's Passing at 11 AM on the 29th... Honorary Seongbuk Citizen Certificate Awarded to Han Yong-un's Daughter Han Young-sook
Memorial Arts Festival "Remembering Manhae (萬海)" from 5 PM on the 29th... Collaboration between Universities (Kookmin University, Dongduk Women's University, Korea National University of Arts) and Local Art Group (Seongbuk Gonggam Arts Troupe)
Manhae Han Yong-un Creative Musical "Simwoo" Performance on the 30th... Collaboration between Universities (Kookmin University, Dongduk Women's University, Korea National University of Arts) and Local Art Group (Seongbuk Gonggam Arts Troupe)
Honoring the Spirit and Ideology of Manhae's Independence and Respect for Descendants of Independence Activists 'Independence Activists'

June 29 marks the 80th anniversary of the passing of Manhae Han Yong-un, one of the 33 national representatives, a national poet, and a Buddhist monk. From 1933, Manhae Han Yong-un resided at Simwoojaang in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul (24, Seongbuk-ro 29-gil), and until his passing on June 29, 1944, he resisted injustice without compromising with Japanese imperialism. During this period, he contributed numerous articles to the magazine 'Buddhism,' discussing Buddhist reform, fostering national consciousness, and awakening the spirit of resistance through novels such as 'Heukpung' and 'Bakmyeong.'

To commemorate this, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Lee Seung-ro) is collaborating with the Seongbuk Cultural Center (Director Kim Young-il) and the Seonhakwon Foundation (Chairman Ji Gwang) to hold various events honoring the 80th anniversary of Manhae Han Yong-un's passing.

June 29, 11 a.m. Memorial Tea Ceremony for the 80th Anniversary of Manhae Han Yong-un’s Passing

First, on the morning of June 29, a memorial tea ceremony will be held at Simwoojaang in Seongbuk-dong to honor the 80th anniversary of Manhae Han Yong-un’s passing. This event is hosted by the Seongbuk Cultural Center, the Seonhakwon Foundation, and Jeongbeopsa Temple, with support from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Seongbuk District Office, and the Local Government Administrative Council for the Promotion of Manhae Han Yong-un.

The tea ceremony is a ritual of offering tea, and the term 'jae' (齋) refers to a Buddhist ritual of offering meals to monks and the associated Dharma assembly. At this memorial tea ceremony, a special ceremony will be held to award an honorary citizenship certificate of Seongbuk-gu to Mrs. Han Young-sook, the daughter of Manhae Han Yong-un. Through this, the district aims to honor the independence spirit and ideology of the master and show respect to the descendants of independence activists, thereby establishing Seongbuk as the ‘City of Independence Activists.’

June 29, from 5 p.m. Memorial Arts Festival 'Remembering Manhae 萬海'

On the same day in the afternoon, the memorial arts festival 'Remembering Manhae 萬海' will take place. Hosted by Seongbuk-gu and organized by the Seongbuk Cultural Center, the event is in cooperation with Kookmin University, Dongduk Women’s University, Korea National University of Arts, and the Seongbuk Gonggam Arts Troupe.

The festival will showcase newly created works related to Manhae Han Yong-un across various genres. The participation of universities located in Seongbuk-gu such as Kookmin University, Dongduk Women’s University, and Korea National University of Arts makes the event even more meaningful.

The festival is divided into two parts, held respectively at Simwoojaang in Seongbuk-dong (24, Seongbuk-ro 29-gil) and Seongbuk History and Culture Park (118-2, Seongbuk-dong). Part 1 starts at 5 p.m. at Manhae Han Yong-un’s Simwoojaang in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. Kookmin University College of Arts will present a creative performance titled ‘Manhae’s Breath, Connection,’ linking various genres such as string quartet, vocal music, poetry recitation, and dance under the single theme of Manhae Han Yong-un. Additionally, Korea National University of Arts and the Intangible Heritage Federation will offer a diverse range of traditional Korean music performances including sanjo ensemble, fan dance, Taepyeongmu, and Namdo folk songs.

Part 2 of the festival will be held at 7 p.m. at Seongbuk History and Culture Park. It will begin with a creative piece by the traditional Korean music creation group ‘Dabut,’ featuring vocals, haegeum (Korean fiddle), and keyboard, followed by a solo geomungo (Korean zither) performance by Jeon Hyeong-ju. Then, the daegeum (bamboo flute) performance by ‘Daegumi Nuna,’ a YouTuber with 200,000 subscribers, will take place. The band ‘Vintage Frankie,’ which sings about history and culture, will perform original songs set to Manhae Han Yong-un’s poetry. Hip-hop musicians ‘Kwon Sseok’ and ‘GK (Ji-K)’ will present original rap compositions based on Manhae Han Yong-un’s poems.

Moreover, special stages will feature singer-songwriter Han I-seo, who gained attention through SBS 'K-pop Star 5' and JTBC 'Sing Again 2,' and singer-songwriter Lee Dong-hyun (Liel), who ranked third as the ‘Seongbuk-dong Rockstar’ on MBN’s 'Oppa Era' and 'Singer Song Fighter.'

June 30, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Creative Musical 'Simwoo' about Manhae Han Yong-un

On June 30, the creative musical 'Simwoo' will be performed at Simwoojaang, dedicated to Manhae Han Yong-un. The event is hosted and organized by the Seongbuk Cultural Center and the theater company The Neum, with support from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Seongbuk District Office, Unhyeongung Palace, and Korea National University of Arts.

The performances will be held at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. After the 3 p.m. show, students from the Traditional Arts Department of Korea National University of Arts will present a variety of traditional Korean music performances including Seodo sori ‘Susimga,’ pansori pieces ‘Heungboga’ and ‘Chunhyangga,’ and gayageum byeongchang folk song ‘Spring in My Hometown.’

'Simwoo' is a musical first performed in 2014 at Simwoojaang in Seongbuk-gu, now celebrating its 10th anniversary. It is based on the funeral incident of independence activist Ilsong Kim Dong-sam. In the spring of 1937, despite Kim Dong-sam’s martyrdom in Gyeongseong Prison after torture by the Japanese, no one dared to retrieve his body due to fear of the Japanese authorities. Manhae Han Yong-un personally collected his body and held a five-day funeral at Simwoojaang. The musical portrays the intense life and struggles of independence activists through this story.

The performance is open to all and free of charge. No prior reservation is required; anyone visiting Simwoojaang on the day can attend.

Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, stated, “After Manhae Han Yong-un moved to Simwoojaang in Seongbuk-dong, many independence activists who followed him lived and worked in the area, leaving their traces behind, making Seongbuk the city of independence activists. Through this 80th anniversary memorial event involving various local universities and institutions, we hope to share that Manhae Han Yong-un’s spirit of independence remains a great legacy in Seongbuk today and to engage future generations. We ask for your interest and participation.”