On September 14, Hwacheon County in Gangwon Province completed a 60-meter tall flagpole for the Taegukgi, the national flag of South Korea, in front of the Hwacheon Youth Training Center. The flag measures 12 meters by 8 meters.
The completion ceremony took place near the youth training center. The flag can be raised and lowered electronically, and stone guide signs have been installed around the area.
The project began in October of last year following proposals from local veterans' organizations and administrative associations. The county aims to use the site to promote awareness of Hwacheon's independence movement history and to honor the sacrifices of those who died for the nation.
According to the Independence Hall of Korea's register of independence activists, on March 23, 1919, members of the Cheondogyo religion in Sin-eup-ri, Hwacheon, held a rally on market day. Kim Han-soo and others joined the protest after receiving the independence declaration.
Five days later, on March 28, a similar rally took place in Bongori, Sangseo-myeon, where approximately 300 residents participated in a march to the Sangseo-myeon office, led by Lee Chang-seon, as recorded in the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs' records of independence activists.
The Academy of Korean Studies estimates that around 3,500 people participated in the rallies in the Hwacheon area, including not only Cheondogyo followers but also scholars, youth, farmers, and members of the righteous armies from the late Joseon period.
The flagpole is located near the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival site along the Hwacheon Stream. Hwacheon County Mayor Kim Se-hoon stated, “I hope the children visiting the youth training center will remember the sacrifices of our patriots as they see the large Taegukgi.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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