Yun Bong-gil Historic Site, Yesan

On 29 April 1932, in Hongkou Park in Shanghai, the independence activist Yun Bong-gil (1908–1932), known by his pen name Maeheon, threw a bomb that killed or wounded senior Japanese military and civil leaders. He was born and raised in the farming village of Siryang-ri in Deoksan-myeon, Yesan. The Yun Bong-gil Historic Site brings together his birthplace Gwanghyeondang, Jeohandang, where he lived until he went into exile, Buheungwon, the base of his rural education work, the shrine of Chunguisa and a memorial hall displaying his belongings. Walking between them, you can trace how a young man from this quiet village ended up in Shanghai at 24.

From rural educator to independence fighter

Yun was born in 1908 in Dojungdo, a small island-like hamlet in Siryang-ri. He entered Deoksan Common School at 11 but left the following year in protest against a Japanese teacher, then studied the Chinese classics and received the pen name Maeheon from his teacher. From around the age of 20 he ran night classes, taught farmers with a reader he wrote himself, the Nongmin Dokbon, and in 1929 founded the Woljinhoe, an association for rural development.

He left home in 1930 and in Shanghai joined the Korean Patriotic Organisation led by Kim Gu. On 29 April 1932 he threw his bomb at a ceremony marking the Japanese emperor's birthday and Japan's victory in the Shanghai Incident, killing or injuring General Shirakawa Yoshinori and other leaders. Arrested on the spot, he was taken to Japan and executed by firing squad on 19 December the same year. He was 24.

What to see

• Gwanghyeondang (birthplace): the thatched house in Dojungdo where he was born. Access to the Dojungdo area was restricted during trail repairs in 2022–2024, so check signs on site.
• Jeohandang (family home): the name means "the house that saves Korea". The family moved here in 1911, when he was four, and he lived here until his exile in 1930. After his death the house was watched by the Japanese police until liberation, and his family lived here until August 1972.
• Buheungwon: the thatched building that served as the base for his night school and rural revival work. Look for the name board under the eaves.
• Chunguisa: the shrine holding his portrait, built in 1968. You reach it through a red gate and up a flight of steps.
• Yun Bong-gil Memorial Hall: opened in 2001, it holds and displays 65 of his belongings designated as Treasures. The best known is the pocket watch he swapped with Kim Gu on the morning of the attack.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: March–October 09:00–18:00, November–February 09:00–17:00; last entry 30 minutes before closing. Admission is free. Information on closing days varies, so check with the memorial hall before you go (+82 41-339-8238).
• Time needed: about 1 hour for the memorial hall and 2 hours for the whole site.
• Getting there: buses from Seoul Central City Terminal reach the Deoksan Spa stop in about 1 hour 30 minutes; from there it is 5 minutes by taxi or 20 minutes on foot. By train, take the Janghang Line from Yeongdeungpo to Sapgyo (about 1 hour 55 minutes), then bus 501, 553 or similar for about 40 minutes. The car park (205 spaces) is free.
• Best time: the Maeheon Cultural Festival commemorating the attack is held around 29 April every year.
• Good to know: the whole site is non-smoking, and flash and tripods are not allowed in the exhibition hall. Combine with Deoksan Hot Springs and Sudeoksa Temple for a full day.