Commemorating the Democratization Movement
Icheon Democratization Movement Memorial Park
Democracy is about people. Memory and future - democracy is a process. If you are moved by the sentence, "Democracy is about people and is a process," we invite you to visit Icheon Democratization Movement Memorial Park, where we commemorate and remember those who gave their lives for democracy.
Icheon Democratization Movement Memorial Park is located at San 28-4, Eonong-ri, Moga-myeon, Icheon-si. The park is a democracy park whose creation was successfully hosted by Icheon City in 2007 as part of the democratization movement commemoration project that began with the promulgation of the Act on the Restoration of Honor and Compensation for Those Involved in the Democratic Movement on January 12, 2001.
It is only because of the outcry and resistance of that day that this park exists, and we are here to visit it. At the entrance to the park is the grand "Gate of History". Its stature speaks to the identity of the park, and gives you a sense of humility from the start. With that in mind, you'll soon come across the Democracy Gate and Citizen's Square, leading to the entrance to the park.
The sky from the panoramic 'Citizen's Square' is high. The democracy fighters must have seen this high sky. We wonder how they felt when they saw it. While thinking about it, one may suddenly look around and see square pillars of light of various heights placed irregularly everywhere. When looking around, one may realize that there were columns of light of various heights and shapes all over the place, and that they are part of a work called "Memorial Cube," which represents the people who stood at the scene of the democratization movement.
As you stand with the cubes in the plaza, you can hear the chants of the day for a moment.
As you take in the cubes one by one with the chants, you can see a giant cube resting on a small pond that holds the sky of Icheon. Compared to the other intact cubes, this cube has knife-cut cracks, which are said to represent the scars and sacrifices of the times during the democratization movement. When you realize the meaning, your heart will sink. It seems that no matter how solid something looks, there is nothing you can do about the scars that have already been there.
After seeing the cube, you may be eager to learn more about the democratization movement, so you walk over to the Democratization Movement Memorial Hall next to the cube.
The Democratization Movement Memorial Hall is divided into the Permanent Exhibition Hall, where you can see the history of democratization, and the Special Exhibition Hall, which highlights the victims of the democratization movement and the events of the time.
With a broad storyline of encounters, history, and empathy, the exhibition rooms convey the spirit of the democratization movement to elicit understanding and empathy from the viewers. In particular, the stylish production and concept of each corner's theme makes it easy, warm, and accurate for visitors to understand a topic that can be rather heavy. It is no exaggeration to say that you can learn all about the history of Korea's democratization here, so it is recommended that you take your time and look around slowly.
Toward the end of the exhibition, a final corner called "Message to Tomorrow" appears. The electronic guestbook you leave in this corner will become a leaf of the democracy tree on the screen. Let's write on the guestbook with gratitude so that the democracy tree can grow taller and form a forest.
Now that you've taken the history of the democratization movement to heart, it's time to honor the pro-democracy heroes.
Even as you leave the memorial hall and follow the signs to the memorial space, you can feel the passion for democracy.
The Korean Democratic Movement History Hall, which depicts the historical events of the democratization movement with colorful lights, the Flag Square, which recreates the forest of flags that covered the democratization site, and the Road of Hardship, which depicts the figure of a person walking with red flowers, strengthen our hearts as we go to the memorial space.
As you approach the memorial space, you won't see the cemetery until you look around to see where it is. This is because the cemetery is placed 2 meters higher than the plaza so that it can be approached naturally without the preconceived notions of a cemetery, showing how much thought was put into this park.
The memorial space includes the Democracy Cemetery, where the democracy heroes are buried, and the Memorial Hall for Deceased Souls, where the portraits and mortuary tablets of those buried there are enshrined. Although we can't fathom their feelings, let's take a moment to remember the democracy movement and express our gratitude.
After the memorial service, as you look around at the open sky and scenery, you will see a large sculpture shining above the green Democracy Square. This is the "Light of Wishes," which represents the hope of democracy. The sculpture has a small inscription.
"We dedicate this tower to the spirits of the victims of the democratization movement with the hope that freedom, equality, justice, and peace will be realized on this earth, and that the great world of democracy will continue forever."br/>
A vast world was handed down to us by those who gave their lives for freedom, equality, justice, and peace in Korea. Let's make a pledge of deep gratitude to make that world bigger and more significant.