Wolgot-myeon Independence Movement Monument

The Wolgot-myeon Independence Movement Monument is a memorial erected to commemorate the March 1st Movement that took place in Wolgot-myeon, Gimpo-si, and is located at Tongjin Rest Area. Tongjin Rest Area was the site of the Gunha-ri marketplace where the independence demonstrations began. The monument has a base height of 0.66m and a stele height of 1.2m. It was unveiled on December 29, 1984, and was designated as a patriotic facility by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs in May 2005. The Gimpo independence movement, the third largest in the country and second largest in Gyeonggi Province, took place from March 22 to March 29, 1919, over eight days, in areas including Geomdan-myeon, Yangchon-myeon, Gochon-myeon, Haseong-myeon, and Wolgot-myeon, with a total of 15 rallies and nearly 15,000 participants. In particular, the independence movement in the Wolgot-myeon area was initiated by Isalnum (real name Lee Gyeong-deok, 1886–1948) from Gimpo, starting on March 22, 1919, and continued to the Jogang-ri and Galsan-ri areas on March 29. On March 23, simultaneous independence demonstrations also took place at the Orani marketplace in Yangchon-myeon, and the Yangchon Daegot-myeon Independence Movement Monument was erected to commemorate the Orani marketplace demonstrations. The leaders and active participants of the independence demonstrations in the Wolgot-myeon area were arrested by the Japanese colonial police, imprisoned, and died for their country. The Wolgot-myeon Independence Movement Monument provides a detailed account of the shouts of that day, so if you encounter this monument during your trip to Gimpo, it is worth taking time to observe it closely.