Remains of Japanese colonial government building to be used in Mar. 1 Independence Declaration Plaza

The site of Taehwagwan, a restaurant where Korean independence activists read the Korean Declaration of Independence on Mar. 1, 1919, which sparked the Mar. 1 Movement, in Seoul. (Hankyoreh archives)

Newly registered “Seoul stones” a reminder of the traumatic history of colonization

The remains of the Japanese Government-General Building, which was torn down in 1995, have been registered as “Seoul stones” by the city of Seoul and will be used as paving stones for the Mar. 1 Independence Declaration Plaza that’s being built in Insadong, in Seoul’s Jongno District. The move is designed to remind Koreans about the country’s traumatic history as a Japanese colony.

On Feb. 22, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it would use Seoul stones from the Government-General Building as the paving stones for the Mar. 1 Declaration of Independence Plaza, which will be built between April and August of this year.

“The ‘Seoul stones’ will become a symbol of Korea’s independence and of how Koreans have overcome their painful history of colonization,” said Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon.

The Government-General Building, which was built during the Japanese Colonial Period in 1926, was demolished in 1995 as part of efforts to “set history straight.” Since then, the remains of the building have been stored at the Independence Hall of Korea, in Cheonan, Gyeonggi Province.

The Taehwagwan building in 1919. The building was demolished in 1980. (Hankyoreh archives)

After receiving the remains of the building from the Independence Hall, Seoul designated and registered them as “Seoul stones” for the plaza. The city believes that these stones were brought from a quarry in the Changsin neighborhood of Jongno to the construction site of the Government-General Building.

“There are a lot of remains from the Government-General Building, and a substantial number of stones will be used as paving stones for the plaza. The ‘Seoul stones’ that will be used in the ceremony weigh 8kg,” said an official with Seoul’s reclamation policy department.

The Mar. 1 Declaration of Independence Plaza is currently being built on the site of Taehwagwan, a restaurant in Insadong where Korean independence activists read the Korean Declaration of Independence on Mar. 1, 1919, kicking off the Mar. 1 Movement.

The plaza will be paved with stones from 10 major overseas sites of the independence movement, including Kazakhstan and Harbin, in order to show that the movement took place in various countries and to reflect the wishes of Korean nationals and members of the wider Korean diaspora.

By Kim Mi-hyang, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [[e-mail]]