Gyeongseong Bumin Hall Bombing Incident Site

The Gyeongseong Bumin Hall Bombing Incident Site is where a bomb was detonated to disrupt a pro-Japanese meeting held at Gyeongseong Bumin Hall. On July 24, 1945, the Gyeongseong Bumin Hall Bombing Incident occurred. Gyeongseong Bumin Hall was a municipal theater built in December 1935 at 60 Taepyeong-dong, equivalent to a city theater today. It was a multi-purpose hall with one basement floor and three above-ground floors, equipped with a large auditorium, medium auditorium, small auditorium, and conversation rooms. It was rare at the time to have heating and cooling systems, as well as lighting and sound facilities, and it was widely used not only for performances by various theater troupes but also as a venue for various government-led rallies under the total mobilization system. The bombing was led by passionate young men in their early 20s, including Jo Mun-gi, Yu Man-su, Woo Dong-hak, and Gang Yun-guk. In May 1945, they formed the Korean Patriotic Youth Party at Yu Man-su's house at 13 Gwansu-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and sought opportunities for anti-Japanese struggle. On the evening of July 24, 1945, when news broke that a pro-Japanese leader, Park Chun-geum of the Daeeui Party, and his group were hosting the Asia National Struggle Conference at Gyeongseong Bumin Hall, Jo Mun-gi and others held a secret meeting and planned to bomb the venue. To this end, Yu Man-su infiltrated as a blasting worker at a Suseok substation construction site and obtained dynamite to make two homemade bombs, which were installed behind the venue in the restroom area the night before the conference. The bombs exploded around 9 PM on July 24, the day of the conference, shortly after Park Chun-geum took the stage for a speech on current affairs, causing the conference to be halted. The Gyeongseong Bumin Hall Bombing Incident was an event that demonstrated the unwavering will for national independence both domestically and abroad, less than a month before liberation. Currently, the site is the location of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, and a marker stone has been installed to indicate the bombing incident site.

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