“I Will Drift the Seas and Watch My Homeland’s Liberation”
Creatrip Team
19 days ago
A traveler visited Andong’s Naeap village and Wolyeong Park to see sites tied to independence activist Kim Dongsam (一松). Born in 1878 in what is now Naeap-gil, his birthplace marker and plaque are installed at 7-7 Naeap-gil. The article notes many place-name changes from Sino-Korean to native Korean (e.g., 천전리 → Naeap village) and explains the local history: Naeap produced over 20 independence activists, with many villagers fleeing to Manchuria. The old house “Baekhaguryo” (白下舊廬) of Kim Daerak served as a classroom for the 1907 three-year Hyupdong School (협동학교) that promoted modern education and reform, but faced strong opposition from conservative Confucian circles (유림). Kim Dongsam later operated in Manchuria, was arrested after entering Harbin following the 1931 Manchurian Incident, and died in prison in 1937; his dying wish—to cremate his body and have his ashes float on the river so his spirit could watch for the nation’s liberation—is engraved on a memorial at Andong Dam’s Wolyeong Park. Nearby are monuments including a 3.1 Movement memorial and a stone engraved with the poem “Gwangya” by poet Yi Yuksa (pen name 이육사; birth name Yi Wonrok), which reminded the visitor of the local spirit of resistance. Despite hot, humid weather, the visit was rewarding and the writer plans to return to honor other martyrs’ sites.
