Jangheung County Holds Memorial Ceremony for 115th Anniversary of Ahn Junggeun's Death at Haedongsa

About 1,000 People Attend, Including Local Institutions, Organizations, Clan Members, and Students

Jangheung County, South Jeolla Province (Governor Kim Sung) announced that a memorial ceremony marking the 115th anniversary of the martyrdom of Ahn Junggeun was held at Haedongsa in Jangdong-myeon on the 26th.

Approximately 1,000 people attended the ceremony, including Governor Kim Sung, Jangheung County Council Chairman Kim Jaeseung, local institutions and organizations, members of the Juksan Ahn clan, and students.

The memorial ceremony began at 10:15 a.m., the time of Ahn Junggeun's martyrdom, and proceeded in the following order: traditional ritual, a report on Ahn Junggeun's life, reading of his last words, memorial performance, and offering of flowers and incense. Haedongsa is the only shrine in Korea dedicated to Ahn Junggeun.

About 1,000 people including local organizations, members of the Juksan An clan, and students are holding the '115th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony for Patriot Ahn Junggeun' at Haedongsa Temple in Jangdong-myeon and taking a group commemorative photo. Provided by Jangheung County

In 1955, the Juksan Ahn clan in Jangheung, saddened by the fact that there were no descendants of Ahn Junggeun, who belonged to the Sunheung Ahn clan, to perform ancestral rites, built the shrine and enshrined his portrait and memorial tablet.

Jangheung County is transforming the area around Haedongsa into a memorial space through the "Ahn Junggeun Historical and Cultural Resource Development Project." In particular, the "Ahn Junggeun Memorial History Hall," which opened last year with a project cost of 7 billion won, is becoming a popular attraction among tourists and young people.

The Memorial History Hall features a variety of content about Ahn Junggeun's activities as a righteous army leader, the Harbin incident, and his wishes for peace and unity. Born in Hwanghae Province in 1879, Ahn Junggeun crossed over to Shanghai, China after the Eulsa Treaty of 1905 to seek ways to restore national sovereignty. He later returned to Korea and established Samheung School and Donui School to nurture talented individuals.

Even while on trial after the Harbin incident, he criticized Japan's unjust acts of aggression and demanded redress, before being martyred on March 26, 1910. Jangheung County holds a memorial ceremony every year on March 26 to honor and remember Ahn Junggeun's patriotic spirit.

Governor Kim Sung stated, "The spirit of patriotism and the dream of world peace shown by Ahn Junggeun will become widely known through Haedongsa," adding, "We will enhance the exhibits and content commemorating Ahn Junggeun to make Haedongsa a local historical and cultural space."