A Total Project Cost of 3.8 Billion Won Invested
Transforming a Historic Site into a Lifestyle-Oriented Complex Cultural Space
Uiseong County in North Gyeongsang Province held the opening ceremony of the Pastor Jichul Ju Persecution Memorial Hall on May 19, transforming the site where Pastor Jichul Ju, a symbol of the anti-Japanese faith movement during the Japanese colonial period, suffered persecution into a lifestyle-oriented complex cultural space. The event was a great success.
Kim Jusu, the mayor of Uiseong County, is speaking at the opening ceremony of the Pastor Jichul Ju Persecution Memorial Hall.
The newly opened memorial hall consists of exhibition content with historical significance, as well as a community space that local residents can freely use.
It is drawing attention as it is expected to serve as a hub for revitalizing local culture, transforming from a simple commemorative facility into a lifestyle-oriented complex cultural space where daily life and culture coexist.
A total of approximately 3.8 billion won was invested in the memorial hall project. Starting with land acquisition in 2019, the project was fully launched, remodeling two existing one-story buildings and constructing a new three-story building to complete the facility.
The remodeled buildings house an exhibition hall recreating a police station from the Japanese colonial period, an unmanned book cafe, a small performance hall, and a community space for residents. The newly constructed building contains permanent and special exhibition halls as well as office space.
The opening ceremony was centered around a thanksgiving worship service and a commemorative event, and included speeches on the succession of faith by descendants of martyrs, congratulatory remarks from church leaders, the presentation of plaques of appreciation, a ribbon-cutting, and a tour of the facilities. Approximately 300 people, including local residents and church figures, attended, making the event a great success.
Kim Jusu, the mayor of Uiseong County, stated, "I hope that the Pastor Jichul Ju Persecution Memorial Hall will become a space that preserves the pain of history and serves as an open cultural space where all county residents can enjoy culture in their daily lives."
The site where the memorial hall was built is the location of the former Uiseong Police Station, where Pastor Jichul Ju was tortured during the Japanese colonial period. It is the only remaining site of martyrdom and persecution in South Korea. To commemorate this, Uiseong County and Christian leaders from the region established the Pastor Jichul Ju Persecution Memorial Hall Project Association in 2016, and in 2017, the site was designated as Historic Site No. 4 of Korean Christianity. After more than ten years of effort, the memorial hall finally opened in 2025, marking the 81st anniversary of the martyrdom.
Jusu Kim, the mayor of Uiseong County, is cutting the ribbon with attendees at the opening ceremony of the Pastor Ki-chul Ju Suffering Memorial Hall.
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