Seokju Lee Sang-ryong, the symbol of ‘noblesse oblige’, went into exile in Manchuria with his family after the country lost its sovereignty and fought for independence.
Our country was liberated on August 15, 1945, 79 years ago, following the defeat of the Empire of Japan in World War II, regaining its sovereignty and establishing the Republic of Korea government on August 15, 1948. The day that commemorates this is Liberation Day.
There are many independence activists who sacrificed their lives for their country, but the person who is considered the symbol of ‘noblesse oblige’ is Seok Ju Lee Sang-ryong (1858-1932).
▲ The symbol of noblesse oblige, ‘Seokju Lee Sang-ryong’
Seokju Lee Sang-ryong was born in Imcheonggak, Andong in 1858. As a Confucian scholar, Lee actively participated in the anti-Japanese resistance movement in the late Joseon Dynasty and later participated in the establishment of a cooperative school, working hard for the patriotic enlightenment movement. When Korea lost its sovereignty to Japan in August 1910, he went into exile to Manchuria in January 1911 at the age of 54 with about 50 family members, taking funds for the independence movement by selling their property. After going into exile, he founded the anti-Japanese independence movement organization Gyeonghaksa in the West Jiandao region and established the Sinheung Institute, the predecessor of the Sinheung Military Academy, to train independence fighters and awaken the spirit of independence.
Before his exile, he pledged to devote himself to the independence movement, saying, “I will put Confucius and Mencius on the shelf, and it is not too late to read them after I regain my country.” He also buried the ancestral tablets in the shrine and pledged not to return to his country before independence.
After the provisional government was transformed into a state-led government in 1925, he served as the first state-led government, but he became disillusioned with the divided independence movement and returned to Gando, where he devoted himself to the armed anti-Japanese struggle. Seokju Lee Sang-ryong gave up all vested rights and devoted his life to the war of independence, but he never saw the liberation of his country and died at the age of 74 in May 1932 in Xilan, Jilin Province.
He left a will that said, “Do not take my remains back to my homeland until my country is reclaimed,” and his remains were buried in a foreign country for a long time even after liberation, and were finally returned to his homeland and laid to rest in 1990.
▲ ‘Imcheonggak’, the birthplace of the independence movement
The birthplace of Seokju Lee Sang-ryong is the traditional Korean house ‘Imcheonggak’ built along the steep slope at the foot of Yeongnam Mountain. This house was built in 1519 by Lee Myeong, who served as a junior officer of the Ministry of Justice during the Joseon Dynasty, and produced 11 independence activists including Lee Sang-ryong, his son, and grandson.
‘Imcheonggak (臨淸閣)’ is from Tao Yuanming’s ‘Gui-rae-sa (歸去來辭)’, ‘I climb the eastern hill, whistle long, and write poetry by the clear stream.[登東皐以舒嘯 臨淸流而賦詩]The name comes from a poem called ‘
Imcheonggak, known to have been a 99-room tile-roofed house, is so large for a private residence that there is even a legend that it was a “house built by a goblin.” Due to the Imjin War and the construction of the Jungang Line during the Japanese colonial period, some parts of it were lost, reducing it to its current size.
Andong City and the National Heritage Administration (then Cultural Heritage Administration) established the principle of restoring and maintaining Imcheonggak and its surroundings to their original appearance before they were damaged by the railroad construction, and prepared a comprehensive restoration and maintenance plan in 2018 based on verifiable materials such as the painting “Dongho Haeram (東湖解纜)” from Heoju Lee Jong-ak’s Heojubugunsansuyucheop (虛舟府君山水遺帖), photographs taken around 1940, and cadastral maps.
This Imcheonggak restoration and repair project, which will be fully implemented before and after the relocation of the Jungang Line, will invest a total project cost of 28 billion won to restore two reconstructed houses and reorganize the terrain and trees around Imcheonggak that were damaged by the railroad construction. In addition, the Imcheonggak History and Culture Sharing Center will be built at the entrance to Imcheonggak to commemorate the spirit of independence of Seokju Lee Sang-ryong and to spread his meaning widely. Also, parking lots, walking paths, firefighting facilities, and other viewing and convenience facilities will be reorganized.
The Imcheonggak restoration project is scheduled to be completed in 2025, the 80th anniversary of liberation. After the project is completed, the city plans to use it as an educational center to convey the spirit and fragrance of life of Seok Ju Lee Sang-ryong, who devoted his life to the independence of his country with the belief that “without a country, neither a family nor an individual has any meaning.”
Mayor Kwon Ki-chang of Andong City said, “This year marks the 79th Liberation Day. It has been nearly 80 years since we regained our sovereignty from Japanese colonial rule, and now we can finally restore Imcheonggak.” He added, “The complete restoration of Andong, the sacred site of the independence movement, and especially Imcheonggak, the birthplace of the independence movement, will be an opportunity to restore our people’s self-esteem.” He added, “Andong City will also do its best to ensure that the independence activists who gave everything for their country are no longer forgotten heroes.”
Economy Queen Reporter Hongmi Kim / Photo Andong City
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2024-08-14 09:53:51