The Baekbeom Kim Gu Memorial Association and the Baekbeom Kim Gu Memorial Hall announced on June 15 that they will hold a special exhibition titled "Kim Gu's Dream, Read by the World" to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Kim Gu's birth, designated by UNESCO for 2026.
The exhibition will take place from June 16 to June 30 in the main conference room of the Baekbeom Kim Gu Memorial Hall.
This special exhibition will feature the original handwritten manuscript of "Baekbeom Ilji," which has not been publicly displayed since being designated as a national treasure in 1997 due to preservation concerns. "Baekbeom Ilji" is an autobiography written by Kim Gu in the form of a will for his two sons during the time of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. It was recorded in a mixed script of Korean and Chinese characters, with the first volume written in Shanghai in 1929 and the second volume in Chongqing in 1942, followed by its first publication in 1947 by the National History Compilation Committee after Korea's liberation.
The exhibition is designed to showcase the evolution of published editions, including the original manuscript, handwritten copies, facsimiles, and editions published in the 1990s. Since its first publication, "Baekbeom Ilji" has sold over 10 million copies and has been published in approximately 160 different editions.
Additionally, visitors will have the opportunity to see foreign editions translated into six languages: English, German, French, Japanese, Chinese, and Mongolian. The international translations began with the Chinese edition in Taiwan in 1969, followed by Japanese in 1973, English in 2000, German in 2005, and Mongolian in 2009. Notably, a new French edition has been published this year, coinciding with the 150th anniversary, while the English and Japanese editions have been newly translated and published in modern language.
The exhibition is divided into three main sections. The introduction highlights Kim Gu's life as an independence activist who dreamed of peace through education and culture. The subsequent section presents the publishing journey from the original manuscript to the six translated editions. The epilogue area features an interactive corner where visitors can leave a sentence expressing a wish they want to share with the world, based on the theme "My Wish."
UNESCO officially designated 2026 as the "Year of Commemoration for the 150th Anniversary of Kim Gu's Birth" during its 43rd General Conference last year. This designation underscores the global recognition of Kim Gu's ideals of peace and cultural spirit.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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