Assemblyman Suhyun Park Secures 1.08 Billion Won in National Funding for Gongju Ugeumchi Battlefield

Budget Omitted from Government Proposal
Included in 2026 National Heritage Maintenance Project Through National Assembly Increase

Democratic Party member Suhyun Park

The "Gongju Ugeumchi Battlefield National Heritage Maintenance Project" in South Chungcheong Province, which had been omitted from the government budget proposal, has secured 1.08 billion won in national funding through an increase by the National Assembly.

Suhyun Park, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Gongju, Buyeo, and Cheongyang in South Chungcheong, successfully pushed for the inclusion of the comprehensive maintenance plan and land acquisition budget-key components of the Donghak Peasant Revolution Sacred Site Project. This initiative aims to address, at the national level, the history of popular sovereignty that was thwarted at Ugeumchi 130 years ago.

On January 13, Assemblyman Park announced, "The 2026 budget now includes 1.08 billion won in national funding for the 'Gongju Ugeumchi Battlefield National Heritage Maintenance Project.'"

This funding is part of the "National Heritage Restoration and Maintenance" budget, which passed the National Assembly on January 2. Park was responsible for increasing the allocation specifically for the Ugeumchi battlefield.

The 2026 national funding includes 100 million won for reestablishing the comprehensive maintenance plan, 900 million won for land acquisition, and 80 million won for producing children’s videos at the visitor center, totaling 1.08 billion won. Additionally, 560 million won in local government funding brings the total project budget to 1.64 billion won.

The Ugeumchi battlefield maintenance project has faced unstable funding over the years. In 2022, there was no related budget at all, and in 2023, only 190 million won (including 130 million won in national funds) was allocated for stone embankment maintenance.

Although the budget increased to 1.46 billion won in 2024 and 500 million won in 2025, the government’s 2026 proposal had completely omitted related funding.

Assemblyman Park consistently emphasized the need for national-level maintenance of the Ugeumchi battlefield during party-government consultations and the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee review, successfully restoring the national funding.

In particular, by securing funding to reestablish the "comprehensive maintenance plan," which had not been revised for nearly a decade since 2017, Park established an institutional foundation for the project’s progress.

According to the National Heritage Administration, since the Ugeumchi battlefield was designated a national heritage site in 1994, only 162,878 square meters out of a total 698,297 square meters have been acquired, resulting in an acquisition rate of just 23.3%. Without securing the necessary land, it is fundamentally impossible to undertake medium- and large-scale projects such as constructing a memorial hall.

Assemblyman Suhyun Park stated, "It was impossible to promote the sacred site project with piecemeal funding. With the new comprehensive maintenance plan established after ten years, we have created a turning point for systematic maintenance of the Ugeumchi battlefield."

He added, "I will fulfill my responsibilities in the National Assembly to ensure that land acquisition and the subsequent construction of a memorial hall are carried through to completion."

Gongju Ugeumchi is a historic site of anti-Japanese and democratic resistance, where some 10,000 Donghak Peasant Army members were killed fighting government and Japanese forces in 1894. With the securing of national funding, the Donghak Peasant Revolution Sacred Site Project is now set to become a full-fledged national initiative.