Hyeonchungsa to award offspring of people who protected its land

The Office of Hyeonchungsa Shrine, a place dedicated to Admiral Yi Sun-shin and now run by Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration, is looking for offspring of the ordinary people who made donations to protect the admiral's land assigned to financially support ancestral rites. The land was put up for auction during the Japanese colonial era and could have been handed over if it were not for them.

The shrine office announced on Tuesday that it is running a campaign from June 5 until Dec. 31, 2022 to find the descendants of those who donated to keep the admiral's land. The shrine office released on its official website (hcs.cha.go.kr) the list of the names of some 20,000 donators and 400 groups who had sent money to protect

Admiral Yi's land currently located in Asan City, South Chungcheong Province in May 1931 when it was about to be handed over to a Japanese bank via auction. Applicants can search for the names of their ancestors on the list, click the confirmation button after checking the donator profile and attach verification documents such as family register or genealogical records for submission. The shrine office plans to deliver the offspring the plaque of appreciation issued by the Cultural Heritage Administration and invite them to a cultural event.

The donation movement to protect the admiral's land began on May 13, 1931 when The Dong-A Ilbo published the article titled "Admiral Yi Sun-shin's Land to be Sold for 2,000 Korean Won at Auction." Starting from the next day, the newspaper company was inundated with letters enclosed with money. Thanks to the donation, the land was reclaimed in June 1932 and the shrine was also expanded. The shrine was first established in 1706 and was abolished in 1868 during the reign of Daewongun, a regent of Joseon Dynasty. This year marks the 90th anniversary of the expansion of Hyeonchungsa Shrine.


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