View of the National Memorial of the Korean Provisional Government on March 1 (Photo from memorial's official Facebook account)

By Lee Kyoung Mi and Yoon Sojung

The National Memorial of the Korean Provisional Government on March 2 was opened to the public to raise general awareness of the history and activities of the government in exile.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said, "The National Memorial of the Korean Provisional Government was built and opened on March 1 to illuminate again as proud history the provisional government's spirit of independence and democratic republicanism and pass it down to future generations."

President Moon Jae-in made the memorial one of his election pledges, and on Aug. 15, 2017, he reiterated his promise to build it in his Liberation Day speech. Construction work began afterwards to mark the centennial anniversaries in 2019 of both the March First Independence Movement and the provisional government.

Standing next to the site of the former building of the Seodaemun-gu District Council in Seoul, the four-story memorial covers 9,703 square m with three basement levels, three permanent exhibition halls and one space for special exhibitions. From here, visitors can get a glimpse of Seodaemun Prison, where many pro-independence fighters were incarcerated and tortured by the Japanese colonial government. The memorial also displays approximately 1,000 items related to the provisional government from the start of the movement in 1919 to the present.

The permanent exhibition halls show displays under three themes: "From 'Kingdom of Monarch' to 'Republic of the People,'" "Korean Provisional Government and People of Korea" and "From Korean Provisional Government to the Government of the Republic of Korea." The special exhibition "Return of the Korean Provisional Government" will be held until June 26.

The memorial is open daily except Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free.

km137426@korea.kr