More Independence Fighters Died at Daegu Prison Than Seodaemun—Yet Only Ruins Remain

[Anchor]

Did you know that more anti-Japanese independence activists died at the Daegu Prison during the Japanese colonial period than at the Seodaemun Prison in Seoul? While Seodaemun Prison has become a representative landmark remembering the fierce struggle against Japanese imperialism, Daegu Prison now leaves virtually no trace behind.

Here is a report from TBC's Seo Eun-jin.

[Reporter]

The high-rising red walls.

This is the Seodaemun Prison in Seoul, where inmates were watched from a guard tower built right next to them.

Opened in 1908 as Gyeongseong Prison, it is a place where countless independence activists were imprisoned until liberation.

Martyr Yu Gwan-sun, along with local righteous army commanders Heo Wi and Lee Gang-nyeon, also ended their lives here.

Entering the prison cells instantly conveys the suffering of a nation that lost its sovereignty.

This is a solitary cell where independence activists were confined.

As you can see, they endured severe hardships in this space with no sunlight and no toilets.

Just looking at this place vividly brings to life the tragic history of that era.

It makes one truly feel how harsh the reality of the independence movement learned in textbooks actually was.

[Choi Yul / Visitor to Seodaemun Prison History Hall (High School Student): Before coming here, I only thought of liberation simply as the day we lost our country and got it back. But learning that it was a result achieved through the efforts of so many people makes it feel much more precious and valuable.]

The execution site, guarded by the weeping poplar tree.

An eerie chill lingers even in the murderous heat inside the execution chamber, equipped with gallows used for hanging.

Having preserved the pain of the independence movement, the Seodaemun Prison opened as a history hall in 1998 and is visited by 600,000 people annually as a living educational site.

[Lee Jin-hee / Director of Seodaemun Prison History Hall: It is a meaningful place where general visitors can experience the prison cells, reflect once again on the meaning of the independence movement, and ponder how precious the freedom and peace we enjoy today truly are.]

Daegu Prison, which opened in the same year as Seodaemun Prison, was demolished in 1971, erasing its traces.

Although a history hall was established last year on the second floor of Samduk Church located on the former prison site, its past appearance can only be imagined through photographs and building models.

So far, 225 independence activists have been identified as having died for their country at Daegu Prison, which is 30 more than at Seodaemun Prison.

The history hall is far too small to house the stories of the countless independence fighters imprisoned at Daegu Prison.

[Jung In-yeol / Secretary-General of the Daegu Branch of the Daehan Gwangbokhoe: There are virtually no physical artifacts left from Daegu Prison. That is deeply regrettable, and secondly, because research materials regarding it have not been collected and excavated, there is simply very little to show people.]

While the total floor area of the Seodaemun Prison History Hall is approximately 8,200 square meters, the Daegu Prison History Hall is a mere 121 square meters, which is one-sixty-eighth the size.

A few bricks used at the time are all that remain as relics of Daegu Prison.

Despite priding itself as a sacred ground of anti-Japanese resistance, Daegu's independence heritage is still fading from memory.

(Video by Noh Tae-hee / TBC)

TBC Seo Eun-jin
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.