Venerable Yong Sung’s Contributions To Independence Movement In Korea

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim spends his day presenting Venerable Yong Sung Paek’s contributions to the Independence Movement in Korea

A hundred years ago, Koreans everywhere erupted into the streets and shouted for the independence of Korea. Two million Koreans had joined in the “3.1 Independence Movement”, of which 47,000 were arrested. Unfortunately, most of these brave souls were forgotten from history.

Venerable Yong Sung (1864~1940) who was one of 33 delegates who represented Korea was one of the forgotten ones. Perhaps less than 10% of his contribution towards the independence movement is known to the public. On February 27, 2019, a discussion conference was held at Jogyesa Culture & Arts Center in order to bring light to hidden truths about Venerable Yong Sung’s accomplishments. Venerable Pomnyun Sunim was chosen as the chairman of the board to prepare and give a presentation on the matter.

At 2 PM, 400 guests joined in the discussion conference. The event started with the Homage to the Three Jewels as per Buddhist tradition, followed by, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Korean National Anthem, and a moment of silence for Koreans who gave their lives for the independence of Korea. Afterward, there were congratulatory opening speeches by other members of the Committee to Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the 3.1 Independence Movement.

There was also a celebratory singing performance which was followed by a video highlighting the life of Venerable Yong Sung as an independence activist. The video featured the story of Venerable Yong Sung who had given his whole life towards Korean independence, and the audience responded in tears and a thunderous clap.

Soon after, the discussion panel commenced. Ven. Pomnyun Sunim gave a presentation on the topic “Independence activist Yong Sung Paek: Forgotten 100 years’ truth.” He talked for 50 minutes on the following three main topics: the reason for the day’s discussion panel, the history of 3.1 Declaration of Independence Letter, and the history behind how the independence movement was funded.

After Ven. Pomnyun Sunim’s presentation, there was an active discussion about the emergence of a new key figure in the history of the Korean independence movement among the panel members.