Gyeonggi Province to Advance 16 Projects for '80th Anniversary of Liberation: Rectifying Korean History'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] Gyeonggi Province has established the project slogan 'The Light We Reclaimed, Straight and True' for the '80th Anniversary of Liberation: Rectifying Korean History' project to solidify the meaning of 80 years of liberation where history and the future coexist and prosper, and will advance 16 projects.

To this end, the province will prepare for the construction of the Gyeonggi Independence Memorial Hall, select 80 independence activists, and pursue excavation and cultural projects related to Gyeonggi's independence movement historical materials. Additionally, the province will develop online educational content, support commemorative projects for victims of Japanese military 'comfort women,' and construct the Gyeonggi Independence Memorial Hall.

The province announced the 80th Liberation Anniversary commemorative project plan on the 9th and stated that it will share the history of the independence movement with residents and use it as an opportunity for national unity and fostering patriotism.

The projects pursued by the province aim to share the history of the independence movement with residents and promote national unity and patriotic fervor. Taking the 106th March 1st Independence Movement Day commemoration ceremony held in the past as a starting point, the province will conduct a total of 16 projects: △Preparing for the construction of the Gyeonggi Independence Memorial Hall △Excavating and collecting independence movement historical materials △Selecting 80 independence activists and holding academic conferences to honor their achievements △Plogging at anti-Japanese historical sites and domestic and international independence movement historical tours △Supporting commemorative projects for victims of Japanese military 'comfort women' △Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra performances △Peace seminars led by youth △Opening the Gyeonggi Unification Plus(+)Center △DMZ Peace Marathon △Giseek(GSEEK) online education and others.

■ Advancing Construction of Gyeonggi Independence Memorial Hall

As a major project, the province will pursue the construction of an Independence Memorial Hall as a space to record, exhibit, and inherit the history of the independence movement. To this end, the province will conduct research projects over 10 months beginning in March and plans to establish criteria for vision and objectives, core content and spatial composition, and site selection.

In connection with preparations for the construction of the Gyeonggi Independence Memorial Hall, the province will also conduct work to excavate the independence movement history of the Gyeonggi region and collect related historical materials. Through court rulings and prisoner name registers, the province will organize materials of independence activists, and if there are any omitted individuals, it plans to apply to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs for posthumous honors. Additionally, the province is considering publishing oral history materials compiled by meeting with the second and third generation descendants of independence patriots.

■ Selecting 80 Independence Activists from Gyeonggi Province

The province will select 80 representative independence activists from among approximately 1,500 independence patriots in the province. Through this project conducted jointly with the Gyeonggi Branch of the Korean Association of Patriots, the province plans to actively promote their achievements through education and events. At the March 1st Independence Movement Day commemoration ceremony held in the past, the province introduced Jo So-ang as the first of the 80 Gyeonggi independence activists.

Jo So-ang was born in Gyoha County, Gyeonggi Province (present-day Paju County) in 1887 and emigrated to Shanghai in 1913, serving as a member of the State Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Korean Provisional Government. During the Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Declaration, it is known that he played a major role in securing Korea's independence in his capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Provisional Government.

■ Cultural Projects and Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra Performance

To promote the meaning of the independence movement and liberation on a local level, the province will conduct a 'cultural project contest' that supports cultural and arts projects at the city and county level. With a budget of approximately 1.036 billion won this year, the province plans to select around 20 city and county projects. In particular, the Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra's Korean music cantata 'The Song Become Light' to be presented to audiences on August 23, 2025, through the meeting of chorus and orchestral music is being prepared to recall our songs buried deep in the heart imbued with national spirit, to remember our country's painful history and independence, and to create a profound resonance. The province is preparing this as an opportunity to commemorate the historical value of the independence and anti-Japanese movement and to re-examine the meaning of liberation for the residents of the province.

■ Opening Unification Plus(+)Center

The 'Unification Plus(+)Center,' the first peace and unification-related complex cultural facility in the province, will open in September. The center, scheduled to be established on the returned site of Camp LaGuardia in Uijeongbu City, is a local hub participation platform installed by the Ministry of Unification in seven regions nationwide. The province plans to link this with the 80th Liberation Anniversary and spread the meaning of inter-Korean peace and coexistence.

■ Independence Movement Education and Support for Commemorative Projects for Victims of Japanese Military 'Comfort Women'

In addition, to provide educational opportunities regarding the independence movement, the province will also pursue a plan to invite history instructors to Giseek (GSEEK), Gyeonggi Province's lifelong learning portal, and post content related to independence movement. To restore the honor of victims of Japanese military 'comfort women' and raise awareness of the history of their victimization, the province will also support commemorative projects such as the installation of busts of victims.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon stated on his social media on January 2 that "this year's '80th Anniversary of Liberation' should serve as a milestone for rectifying the nation," and added "let us together create an 80th Liberation Anniversary where we condemn injustice and establish justice to achieve national unity."