Mayor Lee Sang-il of Yongin: "If We Uphold the Spirits of Our Ancestors from 107 Years Ago, Yongin and Korea Will Flourish Even More"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Choi Ki-ho] Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin Special City, stated on March 1st, "If we do not forget the cries of our forebears 107 years ago today who fought to reclaim our nation's sovereignty, and if we faithfully uphold their spirit, I believe Yongin and the Republic of Korea will develop into even more wonderful cities and nations."

The mayor made these remarks at the '107th Anniversary March 1st Independence Movement Ceremony' held at City Hall Ace Hall, honoring the spirit of the independence movement.

The mayor said, "Today is a very meaningful day marking the 30th anniversary of Yongin County's elevation to Yongin City," and added, "Yongin's remarkable growth into a great city of over 1.1 million people is thanks to the dedication of previous generations, for which I am very grateful. I pledge that as mayor, I will do my best together with all civil servants to help Yongin, which has developed remarkably, to soar even higher."

The event, organized by the Yongin Chapter of the Korean Association of Independence Activists (Chapter Director Choi Hee-yong), was attended by approximately 300 people including Mayor Lee Sang-il, descendants of independence activists, officials from veterans' organizations such as the Yongin Chapter of the Korean Association of Independence Activists, and others.

The ceremony began with Chapter Director Choi Hee-yong's reading of the Declaration of Independence. At the event, Mayor Lee presented commendations to Bae Hyo-gap, descendant of independence activist Bae Sang-il; Lee Sun-pyo, descendant of independence activist Lee Ik-dong; and Jeon Ho-seon, descendant of independence activist Jeon Jeong-seok, who are model descendants of independence activists.

Following the commendations, a memorial video introducing the history of the March 1st Movement and independence activists from Yongin and their descendants was shown, followed by congratulatory performances by tenor Kim Dong-won and soprano Kim Hee-jung. Finally, attendees chanted "Mansei" three times, reflecting on the significance of the independence movement and reaffirming their commitment to inheriting the spirit of independence activism.