(Credit: Danjae Shin Chae Ho Memorial Association)
Most cities have historical figures that represent them and they try to commemorate and spread their historical figures to the public.
You must've heard about Micheal Collins. He was an Irish revolutionary, soldier, and politician who was a leading figure in the early-20th-century Irish struggle for independence. He was Chairman of the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State from January 1922 until his assassination in August 1922.
There's a historical figure who walked a similar path as Michael Collins in Daejeon City.
His name is Shin Chae-ho(1880–1936) who was a Korean independence activist, historian, anarchist, nationalist, and a founder of Korean ethnic nationalist historiography (민족 사학, minjok sahak; sometimes shortened to minjok) born in Daejeon City.
He received a classical education from his grandfather and at the age of eighteen entered the Sungkyunkwan( the government-run Confucian academy). Also, he used to work as the editorial staff of the Hwangsung shinmun (Capital Gazette) and also the chief editor at the Taehan maeil shinbo (Korea Daily News).
Daejeon Metropolitan City has selected Danjae(his pen name) Shin Chae-ho as the representative brand and character of Daejeon and has been promoting him with commemorative projects, such as building statues, educational memorial halls, documentaries, and publishing books for Daejeon Independence Movement during the year of 2019.
Shin Chae-ho Education Memorial has secured about 10,000 square meters of land near his birthplace ( Eonam-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon).
Daejeon City also organized the Danjae Academic Seminar, the Danjae Shin Chae-ho documentary program (Daejeon KBS), and the Danjae Special Exhibition.
The statue of Danjae Shin Chae-ho will be built at West Square in Daejeon Train Station to commemorate the birth of Mr. Shin Chae-ho on December 8, 2019.
Daejeon Arts Group or organizations also have been showing various performances to remember him.
A theater troupe, Saebyuk(극단 새벽) prepared the play [Moan and Sing(곡하고 노래하다)], Madanggeukpae(a theater Group), Wukumchi(우금치) staged a Madang play [Hasihaji(Anytime anywhere)]. Besides, another theater troupe, Freedom World(극단 자유세상) will show a special play with a poetry reading [Danjae Shin Chae-ho]
Also, various types of performances will be shown in 2020.
Mr.Choi, one of the board members of the Danjae Shin Chae Ho Memorial Association said: "His birthplace was the place where he was born and raised until he was 8 years old so this place would worthwhile for visiting if you intend to follow his spirit and traces."
Cities commemorate and memorize their historical characters for cities' historical spirit and philosophy.
Danjae Shin Chae-ho is a worthy person to commemorate and memorize in the history of Daejeon.
[More Info about Shin Chae-ho's Birthplace]
Address: 47 Danjae-ro 229beon-gil , Jung-gu, Daejeon
How to get there: Take Number 32 bus from the Daejeon Seonambu Terminal
Call: 042-606-6283
