Another feature of the venue is poem “The Death of a Girl in Budapest” written by Korean poet Kim Chun-soo (1922-2004) after reading a newspaper article about the revolution in 1956.

“The exhibited photos will relay some of the most important messages of our revolution, which has inspired Hungarians and people around the world,” Hungarian Ambassador to Korea Gabor Csaba said in a speech at the opening ceremony on Nov. 7.

“In 1956, Hungarians said ‘no’ to the communist regime that had been installed in the country eight years earlier, and fearlessly expressed their desire to live in a free and independent nation,” he added, noting that the revolt -- in which more than 2,500 people were killed -- was eventually crushed by the Soviet forces.

To a large extent, Csaba argued, the revolution influenced the later advancement of Hungary as a relatively humane society compared to others behind the Iron Curtain. The envoy added that its unfulfilled ideals were finally materialized when Hungary became a democratic republic precisely 33 years later on Oct. 23, 1989.

Hungary has championed its transition toward parliamentary democracy and market economy, according to the ambassador, becoming a member of the European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Visegrad Group and Schengen Area.

The uprising was reported extensively in Korean newspapers in 1956, with seven Yonsei University students organizing a voluntary militia to lend help to the resistance. The late Lee Man-seop (1932-2015), former speaker of the Korean Parliament, was one of the students, and his story is detailed in the exhibition.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)