Actress Song Hye-kyo and Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University are once again spreading positive influence.
On the 8th, Professor Seo announced that in celebration of the 80th anniversary of liberation, he and Song Hye-kyo will donate Korean history guides to Saipan and Tinian Islands in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Through his Instagram account, Professor Seo shared, "I visited Saipan and Tinian last weekend," and added, "We plan to produce Korean language guides to inform about the history of this place and provide them both online and offline."
He explained, "There is a memorial dedicated to Koreans who lost their lives during World War II in Saipan and Tinian. It was created by civilians taking the lead."
Professor Seo also mentioned, "Tinian, which had a Japanese military base, had many Korean conscripts," stating, "The number of Koreans who were massacred or forced to commit suicide by the Japanese military in Tinian alone amounts to over 5,000."
He continued, "At that time, there was a saying among the Japanese that 'Japanese are first, Okinawans are second, Chamorros are third, and pigs are fourth, and those pigs are Koreans,'" pointing out, "It's truly a heartbreaking story."
Professor Seo emphasized, "The preservation status of historical sites of the Republic of Korea remaining overseas is not very good," and added, "The continuous interest and visits from our citizens will be the greatest strength in preserving historical sites abroad."
For the past 14 years, Song Hye-kyo and Professor Seo Kyung-duk have donated Korean language guides, Hangul signboards, and relief works of independence activists to 37 historical sites related to the Korean independence movement overseas.
Song Hye-kyo is currently filming the Netflix series 'Slowly but Intensely.' 'Slowly but Intensely' is set in the Korean entertainment industry during the 1960s to 1980s, a time marked by barbarism and violence, depicting the growth stories of those who, despite having nothing, threw themselves into pursuing their dreams of shining success.
