MEMORIAL CEREMONY FOR ACTIVIST

[Anchor Lead]

A memorial ceremony has been held to honor independence activist Lee Seok-young. Lee donated all his assets amounting to 2 trillion won to help Korea achieve independence from the Japanese colonial rule, and spent the rest of his life in an impoverished neighborhood in Shanghai. He eventually passed away from starvation

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This new library in Namyangju has a special name. "Lee Seok-young New Media Library." Instead of an opening ceremony, a memorial service honoring the distinguished independence activist was held to mark the 87th anniversary of his passing. Lee Seok-young died in a foreign country and was laid to rest without a proper funeral.

[Soundbite] Lee Jong-chan(Lee Seok-young's relative) : "It's very moving to see that he can finally rest in peace."

He was the second brother of independence fighter Lee Hoe-young. Shortly after Korea's annexation to Japan in 1910, Lee Hoe-young and his brothers left for China to fight for their home country's independence. It was right after Lee Seok-young inherited a large plot of land in Namyangju from his adoptive father.

[Soundbite] Hwang Won-seop(Woodang Memorial Hall) : "The distance between Namyangju and Seoul is 30 kilometers. All the fields there belonged to Lee Seok-young's adoptive father. Lee sold the land secretly for a cheap price."

It cost 400,000 won at the time, which is around two trillion won in current value. Lee sold the land and used the money to set up a military academy. It produced some 3,500 independence activists. However, after Yoon Bong-gil's death, Japan's oppressive actions intensified, and the Lee brothers went separate ways. Lee ended up living in dire poverty in a destitute neighborhood of Shanghai. He moved after his son was assassinated during an independence movement.

[Soundbite] Cho Kwang-han(Namyangju Mayor) : "Lee Seok-young was buried at a public cemetery. His grave was vandalized, and his remains were never found."

The area in front of the royal tomb Hongyureung has been named "Lee Seok-young Square," and a facility named after the renowned activist is set to open in March. Although Lee's remains have never been discovered and he has no direct descendents, his indomitable spirit lives on.