"A Holy Site for Armed Independence Movement," Yet Left Abandoned Without a Trace

[Anchor]

The Provisional Government buildings of the Republic of Korea remain in Shanghai and Chongqing, China. These sites serve as symbols of the anti-Japanese independence movement, drawing 350,000 visitors annually. However, Beijing—where an independence movement just as active as those in other cities unfolded—lacks even a proper memorial hall.

Correspondent Han Sang-woo tracked down these traces.

[Reporter]

Beijing Zoo is always crowded with pandas and various rare animals.

At its center lies the "Sanpaizi Garden," anchored by a modern western-style building known as "Changguanlou."

It was a resting place for Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi during the late Qing Dynasty, but it is also a place that cannot be omitted from our independence movement history.

This is where leaders of the Military Unification Council—created by figures such as Shin Chae-ho, Shin Sook, Lee Hoe-young, and Park Yong-man—gathered to discuss the integration of independence army organizations for over two months starting on April 17, 1921.

[Hong Sung-rim / Chairman, Anti-Japanese History Commemoration Association in China: Because it is the place where heads of military organizations from all around the world gathered to hold the Military Unification Council, it symbolizes Beijing's independence movement and serves as a kind of holy site for those who advocated such armed struggle lines.]

However, no guide or information regarding this independence movement history can be found anywhere, and there is not even a historical marker.

Entering a traditional Chinese alley, or hutong, near the Forbidden City, a house with a red gate catches the eye.

This is the site of the Japanese military police prison where anti-Japanese resistance poet Lee Yook-sa met his martyrdom.

Lee Yook-sa was arrested in Korea in 1943, transferred here, and died in prison.

Now converted into a private residence, there is no explanation about Lee Yook-sa anywhere nearby, and access for reporters or visitors is difficult.

There are 26 independence movement historical sites in Beijing, China, including the "Six Nations Hotel," where figures like Ahn Chang-ho, Lyuh Woon-hyung, and Hwang Jin-nam met a U.S. congressional inspection delegation in August 1920 to appeal for independence, as well as the residence where Shin Chae-ho lived.

However, because these sites differed in trajectory from the Provisional Government—which pursued a diplomatic independence path—they have received relatively little spotlight.

Urgent diplomatic efforts are needed to preserve these marginalized independence movement sites.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Reported by Choi Deok-hyun | Video Editing by Choi Hye-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.