
Tosan Park is where the people's leader, Tosan
Ahn Ch'ang-ho, and his wife Yi Hye-ryon are buried. After Korea became a Japanese colony in
1910 and an overt independence movement became impossible, many nationalist activists fled to the
safety of overseas countires. In 1907, Tosan organized the New People's Association (Shinminhoe)
around a core of Korean Christians who carried on the tradition of the Independence Club. Although
he had taken refuge in America, he argued that there were two prerequisites to Korea recovering
its independence- raising the level of knowledge and moral standards of Korean people through
fostering education and achieving economic strength by developing industry.

An excellent promenade through the park reminds one of a Western garden. People come here to take
pictures and enjoy the serenity offered by the trees and plants. At the east end of the park stands
a bronze statue of Ahn Ch'ang-ho, which faces southwest. His words inscribed below the statue
say, "Truth always has followers, and justice always has a day of
realization. Resist falsehood even if you must face death."

A memorial hall was built in 1998 which marked the 120th anniversary of Mr. An's birthday. The
first floor displays many pictures and documents related to Mr. An, such as the one picture taken
at an orange farm in California. The hall provides interesting information showing Mr. Ahn's brave
acts against the Japanese during the occupation era.
Location: 649-9, Shinsa-dong
Information: (02) 543-2558
|