The Seoul city unveiled Wednesday a plan to erect a memorial to honor the country’s government-in-exile during the Japanese occupation, the first such facility to be built here. 

“To celebrate the landmark year (2019) in Korean history, the city of Seoul will prepare to honor the legacy of our provisional government, which successive governments so far have failed to properly acknowledge and put very little attention on,” Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said.

Founded in Shanghai, China, in 1919, the government-in-exile served as the center of South Korea’s diplomatic and military campaign to gain independence from Imperial Japan, which ruled the country until 1945. 

The memorial is part of the city’s broader initiative to honor the country’s independence movement, ahead of the centennial anniversary of the March 1st Movement in 2019. The massive uprising that took place in March of 1919 was one of the earliest public displays of Korean resistance to Imperial Japan. 

Although there are memorials in Shanghai and Chongqing where the provisional government was based, South Korea has no facility in its own territory to honor the movement.  

The central government announced last year plans to refurbish the memorial halls to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the independence movement.

“Seoul no longer wants to remember history through textbooks. We will remember the independence movement, which laid the foundation of who we are now, by experiencing it in our everyday lives,” said the mayor at a press conference held inside an old prison in northwestern Seoul where many independence fighters were locked up, tortured and executed.

Under a blueprint the city unveiled Wednesday, six memorial facilities will be built around Seodaemun Prison, which now operates as a history museum. The memorial for the provisional government is one of six the city said would form the “independence movement cluster.” The nearby subway station -- Anguk Station on Line No. 3 -- will also be renovated with a theme referring to the independence movement. 

The city government plans to spend 7.4 billion won ($6.46 million) each year in monthly livelihood support to some 5,200 descendants of independence fighters residing in Seoul, on top of various other city-run support programs.    

“The March 1st Movement in 1919 set the cornerstone for people-driven movements in Korean history, such as the April Movement in 1960, June Democracy Movement in 1987 and million-strong candlelight vigils which are still held in Gwanghwamun Square. That is the reason why we and our future generation should forever remember the March First Movement,” said Mayor Park.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)