Special exhibition marks 150th anniversary of independence leader Kim Ku at Seoul's Gyeonggyojang

The Cultural Heritage Administration and the Seoul Museum of History will jointly hold a special exhibition at Gyeonggyojang — the final residence of independence leader Kim Ku and the last headquarters of the Korean Provisional Government — to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth.

The exhibition, titled "Baekbeom Kim Ku, Becoming a Value for the World," runs from Tuesday, Aug. 4, through Aug. 30 at Gyeonggyojang in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Organized around major events that unfolded at the site after Korea's liberation and Kim's philosophy of peace and cultural nationalism, the exhibition aims to highlight the historical significance of the location and the spirit of the independence movement from multiple angles. This year marks the 150th anniversary of Kim's birth and has been designated a UNESCO commemorative year in his honor; the exhibition is held in August to coincide with his birthday of Aug. 29, 1876.

Rather than following a conventional chronological format, the exhibition is organized around actual events and stories that took place at Gyeonggyojang, making the history more accessible to visitors. It opens with Kim's arrival at the site after liberation in 1945, then traces his deliberations with Provisional Government figures over the nation's future, explores the vision of cultural strength expressed in his essay "My Wish," which he wrote there, and concludes with his journey to Pyongyang in 1948 to attend the inter-Korean leaders' conference in a bid to prevent the division of the peninsula.

Admission is free. The exhibition is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Mondays. Each day during the exhibition period, the first 20 visitors will receive a commemorative bookclip featuring symbols associated with Kim Ku and Gyeonggyojang.

The exhibition is a small-scale display making use of a 35-square-meter space inside Gyeonggyojang. The Cultural Heritage Administration and the Seoul Museum of History said they hope the exhibition will give the public an accessible opportunity to engage with the historical significance of the last headquarters of the Korean Provisional Government and the spirit of Kim Ku.