Mission life: THE KUKMIN DAILY

Independence Movement Activist Rev. Ju Gi-cheol Memorial Center Opens in Jinhae

2015-03-25 16:20

On March 24, a memorial center for Rev. Ju Gi-cheol (1897∼1944), an Independence Movement activist during the Japanese occupation, opened in Jinhae-gu, Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do.

The city of Changwon built the memorial center (photo) in Rev. Ju’s hometown in Jinhae with a 4.9 billion won fund from the central and local governments. Rev. Ju’s daughter-in-law, grandchildren and cousins were among the participants at the opening ceremony.

In the exhibition rooms of the two-story building are displayed items left by Rev. Ju, including photos of him with family and church members, letters to his senior pastors, written records of Munchang Church in Masan, where Rev. Ju served, and the traditional clothes he used to wear before he died in prison.

Rev. Ju was born in Changwon, participated in the 1919 March First Independence Movement, and graduated from Presbyterian Seminary in Pyongyang in 1926. He was active also in the anti-Japanese movement, refusing to worship at the Shinto shrine, while serving as pastor of local churches in Busan, Masan, and Pyongyang. Rev. Ju was arrested and imprisoned by the Japanese police in 1938, and died in Pyongyang Prison. The Korean government, in honor of his dedication, posthumously conferred him with the Order of Merit for National Foundation in 1963. The Patriots and Veterans Affairs Ministry appointed Rev. Ju as the Independence Movement Activist of the Month in November 2007.

Reporter Lee Young-jae (yj3119@kmib.co.kr) from Changwon, with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)


Click here for the original article in Korean
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