Hyochang Park () is a park in Yongsan District, Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1876 as a cemetery for the Joseon royal family, it is now simultaneously a park for leisure and a memorial for the Korean independence movement. In 1989, the park was designated a Historic Site of South Korea.
The area went by a number of names in its early history, including "Hyochangmyo", "Hyochangwon", and "Kuyongsan'goji". Crown Prince Munhyo, his biological mother Uibin Seong, and several other royal family members were buried in the area in the 19th century.
In 1921, the Japanese colonial government turned the park into the first golf course in Korea, with the graves left directly on the course. It was first designated a park in 1940, and the graves were moved out of the park in 1944. After the 1945 liberation, the remains of eight significant Korean independence activists were buried in the park. There has since been continual conflict over whether the park should be used for recreation or as a memorial to the independence movement.
The park contains the first stadium constructed by South Korea, Hyochang Stadium, and the Kim Koo Museum. It is located near exit 1 of Hyochang Park station of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway.
Description The area of the park is . The park contains a large pine forest and cherry blossom trees. In total there are over 100,000 trees of at least 70 species. A variety of swing benches are located in the park. In the park is a blue pillar rising from a small lake, symbolizing the communication between people and the source of life: water. Also in the park is a statue of the Silla-era intellectual Wonhyo.
It is a popular spot for exercise. The park contains such amenities as children's playgrounds, badminton courts, and a senior citizens' association ().
The park is an eight to ten minute walk from Exit 1 of Hyochang Park Station on the Seoul Subway Line 6 and the Gyeongui–Jungang Line. Surrounded by a dense urban environment. the park is near Hyochang Children's Park and Hyochang Stadium, the first stadium constructed after the founding of South Korea. To the east of Hyochang Park is Sookmyung Women's University.
The park and the stadium is designated as a neighborhood park, with most of the park area being designated as Cultural Heritage Protection Area. A 2007 paper called for new building restrictions, criticizing nearby tall and noisy structures such as restaurants, a golf practice facility, Sookmyung Women's University, and the stadium lights. Open access version is available on the journal's website.
Memorials to the Korean independence movement Eight prominent Korean independence activists are buried in the park. The graves of Lee Bong-chang, Yun Bong-gil, and Baek Jeong-gi are known as the Graves of the Three Martyrs (). On the barrier wall beneath the graves, the text "" () is written, which can be translated as "[They] paved a path of beauty for future generations". An empty grave for An Jung-geun is located right next to these three, as his remains have yet to be recovered . Kim Ku is also buried in the park. In the vicinity of these graves are Hibiscus syriacus plants (the national flower), dedicated to each of these figures. Lee's sign indicates that Lee had played in the park in his youth. Yun's was planted at the same time (11:40 am) and on the anniversary of the 1932 Hongkou Park Incident that he participated in. Other activists buried in the park includes Yi Dong-nyeong, , . Memorial services are held annually.
The park contains the Kim Koo Museum, which opened in October 2002. A statue of Lee Bong-chang stands in front of the museum. Also in the park is the hanok-style temple Uiyeolsa (), where seven independence activists are enshrined. In addition, the gate Changyeolmun () is at the park. Each year around the anniversary of the March First Movement, trees next to the park are decorated with South Korean flags.
History Joseon
According to the , Crown Prince Munhyo, the four-year-old first son of King Jeongjo, was buried at the area during the Joseon period in 1786. Jeongjo wanted the location of the grave to be auspicious and close to the palace. He, some servants, and experts in feng shui searched for a suitable location. Jeongjo reportedly visited the eventual location of the tomb thrice, then decided that he was pleased with the sunny hill, forest, and view of the Han River at the site. The area is situated in a line of mountains that begin from Samgaksan in the north. The design and location of the tomb are reportedly described in detail in an 1786 report.
The area was then called "Hyochangmyo" (), where "Hyochang" was Munhyo's temple name and means "filial and prosperous" (). The crown prince's mother, Royal Noble Consort Uibin Seong, died five months later and was buried in a tomb close by. Princess Yeongon was buried in the area in 1829, and her mother Royal Consort Sugui Park was buried there in 1854. In 1870, King Gojong renamed the area to "Hyochangwon" (). During the late Joseon and Korean Empire period, the surrounding area was called ().
The area was heavily disturbed during the 1894–1895 First Sino-Japanese War, 1904–1905 Russo-Japanese War, and by Japan's increasing presence in Korea. In May 1894, Japanese general Ōshima Yoshimasa stationed troops in the area and removed a portion of the woods. In 1906, when Korea was under Japanese residency, the Japanese military established a military base, railroad, and brothel just to the south of the area.
Japanese colonial period
During the Japanese colonial period, the name of the area was changed to Kuyongsan'goji (). At the time, it was the largest green space in Seoul (then called Keijō). In 1915, the Yongsan police department held a ceremony for their new chief in the area.
On June 1, 1921, the Japanese colonial government established the first golf course in Korea around the graves. Fences were erected around the tombs, which were directly in the line of play. It was a 2,322-yard, nine-hole golf course designed by a British person named H. E. Daunt and operated by the nearby . Author Oh Sang-jun gave this excerpt from Daunt's writings on the course:
The last Crown Prince of Korea Yi Un played at the course, although a significant majority of the players were Japanese or foreign. The golf course was closed in April 1924. This was because the course was difficult to maintain and considered too small. That year the Keijō Golf Club was formed, and it began work on creating new golf courses. The sites of two more royal tombs were again disturbed by golf courses: the Gunjari golf course was first located at Cheongnyangni (around the ). It began construction in April 1924 and was completed in December. In 1929, that course was moved to Ttukseom. The was moved to make way for it.
At the time, efforts were being made to make more green spaces and parks around Keijō. While the area wouldn't formally be made a public park until later, it began to be increasingly turned into one. In 1924, the Japanese colonial government acquired usage rights to the land from the Office of the Yi Dynasty for free over a period of 15 years. In June of that year, the area had a recorded size of . In August, a road was paved in the park and the first public toilets were installed, which improved access for the general public. In 1925, a in the surrounding region that led to the deaths of hundreds of people. In the aftermath of the flood, a temporary relief camp was made in the area. In 1935 and 1936, cherry blossom and Platanus trees were planted. There are various attestations to sporting competitions, tree planting events, and outdoor film screenings in the area in the late 1930s. In 1938, plans were made to convert the area into a children's amusement park that included a zoo, garden, library, and children's museum.
In 1940, the colonial government legally designated Hyochangmyo as a park and named it "Hyochang Park". All of the tombs were moved out of the park in April 1944. After their relocation, the tombs of the royal consort and the crown prince were placed more than 100 paces from each other (2 km), which violated the wishes of King Jeongjo. A memorial to victims of wars of aggression was erected in the park afterwards. In an article for The Hankyoreh, Noh Hyeong-seok described the memorial as hypocritical, given Japan's wars to colonize Korea, and described the tomb transfers as "atrocities". A 2021 paper by Hyun-Chul Youn and Seong-Lyong Ryoo argued that it is not known with certainty whether the Japanese were responsible for moving the graves, as relevant records from this period are lost.
Liberation and Korean independence movement memorials
Korea gained independence from Japan in 1945 at the end of World War II. Around that time, around of the park was empty. Kim Ku, , and other members of the Korean Provisional Government (KPG) had just returned from their exile in China, and were searching for adequate places to bury the remains of independence activists who died in exile. They decided on the park for the location. The KPG paid a total of 70,000 won for the rights to use the land, which were then owned by the former royal family. Hong So-yeon (), director of the Simsan Kim Chang-sook Memorial Hall, evaluated their motivation:
On July 9, 1946, a national funeral was held for the reinterment of the remains of Lee Bong-chang, Baek Jeong-gi, and Yun Bong-gil in the park. Their graves are around the former location of Munhyo's grave. On September 22, 1948, the remains of Yi Dong-nyeong and Cha Ri-seok were also buried in the park. Cho Seong-hwan was buried there a few weeks later, on October 14. Their graves are located around the former location of Uibin Seong's grave. Kim Ku was buried in the area on July 5, 1949, after his assassination. Around 500,000 people participated in his funeral procession, making it among the largest in Korean history. His grave is at the highest point of the park.
Attempted relocation of graves and change of park identity
The two Kims originally intended for the park to become a quiet sanctuary to honor the independence movement. According to Kim Ku's secretary Sunwoo Jin, Kim Ku's death stalled progress on further burials in the area. Noh Hyeong-seok of The Hankyoreh speculated that the park might have become a national cemetery if not for Kim Ku's assassination, the Korean War, and the tense relationship between Kim and the first president of South Korea, Syngman Rhee. Rhee had placed police in the park to block mourners in the aftermath of Kim's death.
In May 1956, Rhee and the Seoul city government began an effort to move the graves of the independence activists elsewhere, and construct a stadium and circuit roadway in the area instead. The government provided the pretense of the activists' graves being disrespected by children playing in the area. This was met with pushback from living independence activists and related people. Kim Chang-sook laid down in front of a bulldozer to prevent the removal of the graves. He composed a poem that was then published in The Dong-A Ilbo entitled "Weeping Over Hyochang Park" ().
The relocation was eventually blocked by a unanimous resolution from the National Assembly. The resolution was introduced by Kim Du-han, the son of independence activist Kim Chwa-chin. Despite this, the Rhee administration still pushed to construct what eventually became Hyochang Stadium. After Seoul was selected to host the 1970 Asian Games in June 1959, the estate of Kim Ku allowed for the stadium and roadway to be constructed nearby without the relocation of the graves. By the 1960s, amidst the heavy redevelopment in the area, the park had significantly fewer trees and the graves were not well-connected by paths.