Today we started the day by visiting Yonsei University. We could see the tall buildings of the university towering above from across the street. Nearby the main gates, we saw a plaque marking the ground where Yi Hanyeol was shot by a tear gas canister, eventually leading to his death. There was a short description of what happened that day, on July 9th, 1987, and words of remembrance. We walked around the university and saw several memorial pieces for him, such as the Yi Hanyeol Memorial Mound. The mound was raised to symbolize the need to remember his sacrifice and to continue to fight for democracy, “where an individual’s improvement leads to their community’s improvement, and the community's improvement leads to the individual's improvement mutually.” (written in the description of the mound) Nearby was a large metal art piece that depicted the infamous picture that was taken of Yi Hanyeol when he was shot and was being carried by a fellow protestor. Afterward, we visited the Yi Hanyeol Memorial Museum, where we were able to learn about his life before the Democratic movement, as well as the reasonings and uprisings of the movement. In a small room on the 4th floor, Yi Henyeol’s relics, such as the T-shirt and sneakers he wore the day he was shot, were displayed. Additionally, there was a Yonsei University flag that had a stain from Yi’s blood.
Learning about the Democracy Movement and Yi Hanyeol’s life throughout this day was a very meaningful experience for me. To hear about the people raising their voices to demand justice and change in their nation and about how one man’s sacrifice completely changed the power of the movement was heartbreaking but extremely powerful.
Comments