Seoul's Yongsan-gu district has installed promotional banners to mark the UNESCO-designated "150th Anniversary of the Birth of Kim Koo" and the 81st Liberation Day, aiming to spread awareness of independence activist Kim Koo's patriotic spirit and the historical significance of Korea's liberation. The banners went up Monday, district mayor Kim Gyeong-dae announced.
The campaign will run throughout Liberation Day week, with banners hung at 20 designated low-rise public posting sites across the district. Each banner carries the message "Baekbeom's Dream, Yongsan-gu Carries It Forward," honoring Kim Koo's life and ideals and raising awareness of the internationally recognized commemorative year.
Yongsan-gu has deep ties to Kim Koo. Hyochang Park — a nationally designated heritage site within the district — is the final resting place of Kim and other independence fighters who devoted their lives to Korea's liberation, making it a sacred ground of the independence movement.
After liberation, Kim arranged for the remains of independence activists Yun Bong-gil, Lee Bong-chang and Baek Jeong-gi to be interred at Hyochang Park in 1946, and established a symbolic grave for An Jung-geun, whose remains have never been recovered. In 1948, the remains of Provisional Government figures Lee Dong-nyeong, Cha Ri-seok and Jo Seong-hwan were also enshrined there. Following Kim's death in 1949, he too was buried at the park, cementing it as a landmark of Korea's independence movement history.
Visitors to Hyochang Park can tour Kim Koo's burial site, the Three Patriots' Graves, the Provisional Government figures' burial area, the Uiyeolsa shrine and the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall, where they can encounter firsthand the sacrifices of independence fighters and the history of the Korean Provisional Government.
At the 43rd UNESCO General Conference last year, member states officially designated 2026 as the "150th Anniversary of the Birth of Kim Koo," recognizing the international historical value of his spirit of independence and peace.
"Yongsan-gu, which embraces Hyochang Park where Baekbeom Kim Koo rests, is a city with a special responsibility and mission to carry forward the history of the independence movement," district mayor Kim said. "On the occasion of the 81st Liberation Day and the UNESCO commemorative year marking the 150th anniversary of Kim Koo's birth, I hope more people will visit Hyochang Park to remember the sacrifices and dedication of our forebears and reflect together on the spirit of love for our country."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
