Securing Justification and Building Public Consensus for the "Ssangsaja Stone Lantern Restoration Project"
The "National Treasure Gwangyang Junghungsanseong Twin Lion Stone Lantern Returning to Its Original Place Signature Campaign," selected as the first fund project of the "Gwangyang City Hometown Love Donation System," has achieved a remarkable record of 50,000 signatures in six months through the active participation of the Returning to Its Original Place Promotion Committee, social organizations, and citizens.
Gwangyang City, Jeollanam-do, announced on the 12th that it successfully held the "50,000 Signatures Achievement Ceremony for the National Treasure Gwangyang Junghungsanseong Twin Lion Stone Lantern Returning to Its Original Place Signature Campaign" at the city hall's main conference room.
The ceremony was attended by over 60 social organizations and about 150 Gwangyang citizens, and the event included congratulatory performances, promotional video screenings, progress report videos, and the reading of the petition demanding the return to its original place.
At the ceremony, Park Dugyu, co-chairman of the Returning to Its Original Place Promotion Committee, stated the justification for returning the National Treasure Gwangyang Junghungsanseong Twin Lion Stone Lantern to its original location as follows:
"Every citizen has the right to pursue happiness and the right not to be culturally discriminated against. Therefore, returning the Twin Lion Stone Lantern, originally located in Gwangyang, to be visible to Gwangyang citizens is a legitimate demand for the citizens' right to pursue happiness and to enjoy cultural heritage."
"It is a universal fact that cultural heritage must be in its original place to shine in meaning and value, and no one can deny this fact."
"The movement to reclaim cultural heritage taken out during the Japanese colonial period has been a heartfelt wish and task of the entire nation since liberation. Just as continuous efforts are made to recover cultural heritage taken overseas, it is proper to reclaim the stone lantern in Gwangyang to its original place."
Gwangyang City plans to continue the citywide signature campaign so that the National Treasure "Gwangyang Junghungsanseong Twin Lion Stone Lantern," which was illicitly taken out during the Japanese colonial period and has not yet returned to Gwangyang, can come back to the citizens and shine once again.
In the future, based on verification materials and original location data secured through documentation projects, academic conferences, and trial excavations, the city plans to convey the will of Gwangyang citizens regarding the returning project to related institutions such as the National Museum and the Cultural Heritage Administration.
Jung Inhwa, mayor of Gwangyang City, said, "Cultural heritage has value and shines most when it is in its original place," adding, "Based on the clear logic of returning cultural heritage to its original place, as seen in the cases of the Beopcheonsa Temple Jikwang Guksa Pagoda in Wonju and the stone lantern inside Naju Seoseongmun, we will strive to bring back our proud Twin Lion Stone Lantern."
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