Descendant inherits noblesse oblige of independence fighter

By Kim Jung-yoon

While promoting the memoir of Yi Si-yeong, a founding member of the nation, his descendant is committing himself to inherit Yi’s spirit. Yi was the leader of independence activists against Japanese colonization and the first vice-president of the Shanghai provisional government during colonial times.

Yi, pen-named Sungjae, was a senior statesman serving as the minister of justice and the governor of Pyongan Province during the Joseon Kingdom, and devoted himself as an independence activist after he was exiled to Manchuria following the Japanese annexation of Korea.

In Manchuria, Yi jointly founded Shinheung Military Academy to educate around 3,000 independence activists such as General Kim Jwa-jin, who defeated the Japanese leading the national independence army in a battle.

The 59th annual anniversary of the death of the patriot was held on Mount Namsan, Seoul, where his seated statue was reestablished on Memorial Day on April 17, next to the statue of Baekbeom Kim Gu, a renowned leader of the Korean independence movement.

Although Kim Gu has been widely respected by all Korean people, Yi and his contribution as the mentor of prominent activists is not as well known.

Along with Kim Gu, Ahn Jung-geun, and Ahn Chang-ho, Yi dedicated his life to Korea’s independence and the establishment of the Republic of Korea from the Shanghai provisional government.

While the nation has long forgotten the heroes of modern Korea, Lee Sun-hee, the descendent of Yi Si-yeong runs a memorial business to keep alive the achievements of forefathers who made sacrifices.

“It is very regretful that the people and the nation seem to undermine Korea’s modern history and forbearance of our ancestors, who committed their lives to protecting the nation. My efforts in remembering our founding fathers comes from not only simple respect for them, but also from the hope that this will further remind the people of the painful history of the Korean peninsula through the struggles amid Japanese colonization, the Korean War, and domestic ideological conflicts,” said Lee.

The descendent has also been dealing with the cultural business of inheriting and developing traditions, such as rehabilitating traditional religions, heritage and Buddhist temples with his own money.

Lee said he wishes to continue and expand Korea’s traditional ethics and culture to reach further not only Koreans but also to the people from across the globe.

In pursuit of preserving and promoting the Korean tradition, Lee has purchased 600,000 pyeong (one pyeong is equivalent to 3.3 square meters) of land in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province to construct the tentatively named Museum of World Culture and Korean Traditional Culture.

Lee wishes that the preservation of Korean traditions would not be seen as a nationalistic movement, but as a chance for people to learn diverse cultural aspects.

“The cultural business is another form of inheriting the spirit of our ancestors, who were desperate that our Confucian ideas should survive,” he said. Yi also wishes to build a Confucian academy for young children, students and foreigners, who wish to participate in courses on Confucian leanings.

“Everything else has developed, but our traditional values, culture and morality are on the verge of collapse, looking at our current society. The culture center will play a key role in revitalizing what we have lost,” Lee said.

The word “Confucian” stresses communal harmony, respect for seniority and loyalty to the state and has long been synonymous with “old-fashioned,” in South Korea. Such values have lost their grip on the current generation, according to Lee.

Besides the educational academies and museums with many examples of our historical heritage, Lee wishes to exhibit traditional religious ceremonies such as shaman rituals.

“There are no places where our traditional religious rituals can be viewed,” he said.

Although slightly different from his ancestor in establishing an academy and museum, the motive stemming from patriotic ardor is the same.

The previous Yi’s crusade for liberation through the Provisional Government was ultimately to build a new united country after gaining independence.

With a focus on the teachings of the leader, Lee will continue the political convictions, achievements and leadership through preserving culture and traditions, beginning next year.

He is also writing a series of books that will help young people learn Chinese characters as well as catalogues of the late Yi Si-yeong.

jykim@koreatimes.co.kr