Kim Koo’s statue at Baekbeom Square in Seoul / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
The government has finalized a slate of events marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of independence activist Kim Koo, which UNESCO has designated as a commemorative anniversary year for 2026, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok announced Monday.
The prime minister presided over the first meeting of the Lee Jae Myung administration’s National Patriots and Veterans Affairs Committee at Government Complex Seoul Tuesday, where officials approved a plan organized around three pillars: “Reilluminating Values,” “Integration and Solidarity,” and “Memory and Succession.”
The slogan “My Wish, Culture of Peace” — drawn from Kim Koo’s writings — will be applied uniformly across the commemorative events.
Planned events include an international academic conference scheduled for July or August, a joint symposium between the Kim Koo Museum & Library and the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in October, a Gwanghwamun cultural week in August and a Baekbeom Award ceremony also in August.
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs will lead a dedicated task force to oversee the implementation of the commemorative plan.
The plan was developed through consultations including an expert roundtable chaired by the prime minister in March and joint public-private task force meetings in April.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
Source: Korea Times News
