Vision Declaration Ceremony for the Birthplace of Admiral Yi Sunsin to Be Held on April 28
Jung-gu District in Seoul has begun the official process of restoring historical traces of Admiral Yi Sunsin and developing them into tourism content, aiming to strengthen Jung-gu's status as a city of historical and cultural significance.
Jung-gu will discover both tangible and intangible cultural assets related to Yi Sunsin scattered throughout the district and embark on a project to trace the roots of this great historical figure. To this end, the district announced on April 23 that it will hold the "Chungmugong Yi Sunsin Birthplace Vision Declaration Ceremony" at the Seoul Namsan Gugakdang in Namsangol Hanok Village on April 28.
At the ceremony, Jung-gu will introduce its vision and key strategies to widely promote the historical value of the birthplace of the hero on the 480th anniversary of Admiral Yi Sunsin's birth, establish a strong city identity, and advance as a global historical tourism city.
Yi Sunsin, a world-renowned military commander and the most respected figure among Koreans, was born and spent his childhood in Inhyeon-dong, Jung-gu, which was formerly called Geoncheon-dong, Hansungbu. In 1985, Jung-gu erected a monument marking the site of his birthplace in front of Myungbo Art Hall in Chungmuro, and in 2017, installed an information board in front of the Shindo Building near the birthplace. However, many people still do not know that Jung-gu is the birthplace of Yi Sunsin.
In addition to the birthplace site in Inhyeon-dong, Jung-gu is also home to the former site of the military training center where Admiral Yi Sunsin took his military service examination and served in lower-ranking official positions such as Bongsawa and Chamgun. Jung-gu is also the backdrop for his meeting with Ryu Seongryong, who recommended Yi Sunsin to King Seonjo, and for the famous anecdote in which Yi Sunsin, despite fracturing his leg after falling from a horse during the military examination, persevered and completed the test. The district also features place names such as "Chungmuro," named after Yi Sunsin's posthumous title, and elementary school songs from local schools such as Chungmu Elementary and Jangchung Elementary, in which Yi Sunsin is mentioned.
Kim Gilseong, Mayor of Jung-gu, stated, "We will do our utmost to instill pride in the residents of Jung-gu as descendants of Yi Sunsin and to widely promote the spirit of Chungmugong to domestic and international visitors to Jung-gu. I hope that more people will encounter and experience Yi Sunsin in Jung-gu, Seoul, and become the Yi Sunsin of a new era."
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