Yi Sang Hall Birthplace Site

This is the site of the birthplace of the late Joseon social activist Yi Sang-jae (1850–1927). A religious and political figure, he converted to Christianity early in life and worked through the faith movement to awaken national spirit. In the 18th year of Emperor Gojong's reign (1881) he travelled to Japan as a member of the Joseon Gentlemen's Sightseeing Group to observe conditions there, and in the 25th year of Gojong's reign (1888) he accompanied the plenipotentiary minister Park Jeong-yang to the United States, serving as secretary at the Korean legation in Washington. After returning from America he felt keenly the need for new civilisation, and in 1898, the second year of the Gwangmu era, he joined Seo Jae-pil in organising the Independence Club to lead the movement for popular enlightenment. In 1927, when nationalist and socialist groups joined forces to form the Singan Association to fight Japanese rule on a united front, he was elected its founding president. His writings include the essay collections Cheongnyeoiyeo (Oh, Youth!) and Cheongnyeon wi gukga ji gicho (Youth, the Foundation of the Nation). His birth house was a thatched building with a main hall and a men's quarters, four bays across the front and two bays deep, with a raised gate at the entrance. The main hall is said to have been built around 1800 and the men's quarters around 1926, but the original buildings were lost in 1955, and the present structures are the result of two restorations, in 1972 and 1980. Beside the birthplace stands a relics hall displaying items left by Yi Sang-jae during his lifetime.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Seocheon, Chungnam

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물