Gyeonggi Province is launching an initiative this year to uncover hidden independence activists in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Liberation.
On May 15, Gyeonggi Province announced that it had held a kick-off meeting on May 14 for the "Research Project for Discovering and Honoring Independence Activists and Participants in Gyeonggi Province." The project aims to shed new light on the province's independence movement history and to identify unsung patriots.
Although Gyeonggi Province encompasses a vast area, has a large population, and is home to sites of significant independence movement struggles, only 1,531 independence activists from Gyeonggi (based on place of origin) are currently recorded in the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs’ official records, accounting for just 8.3% of the total number of designated activists nationwide.
In response, Gyeonggi Province will conduct specialized research through this project until December, focusing on participants in the independence movement who have not received official honors due to a lack of objective supporting evidence.
The project specifically includes: ▲ investigating and collecting documents related to independence movement participants from Gyeonggi Province, ▲ preparing individual records and submitting honor applications for each participant, and ▲ holding academic conferences related to the discovery of new participants.
Experts such as Kim Yongdal, former director of the Korean Independence Movement History Research Institute, and Kim Hodong, head of the Gyeonggi branch of the Liberation Association, attended the kick-off meeting to provide advice on methodologies and the direction of the initiative for discovering independence movement participants.
The participants expressed hope that this research would lead to the discovery of previously unknown independence activists from Gyeonggi Province, whose contributions have not been recognized due to insufficient evidence, and that it would shed new light on their noble sacrifices and achievements.
Kim Hana, Director of Welfare at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "This is a very meaningful step in setting the record straight on the history of Gyeonggi Province’s independence movement and in paying tribute to those who devoted themselves to the nation. Based on the research results, we will do our utmost to identify hidden honorees and participants and to ensure that they receive the recognition they deserve."
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