Listening to a sound of moaning GwangGaeTo DaeWang.

©  Last mid November, president Oh Hyo-Jeong visited “GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi.” But Chinese authority didn’t let him in although he himself had restored it. (Given by Oh Hyo-Jeong)

  The 19th emperor, GwangGaeTo DaeWang is selected as the most representative historical figure in Korean history including North and South Korea . He called himself “the son of the heavens” and established a huge kingdom or country or emperor ranging from northern Mongolia , Manchuria to the Korean Peninsula and had been a supreme emperor in Northern East Asia . Historians don’t hesitate to call (or choose or designate) him as the most outstanding figure with an identity and history of GoGuRyeo. He became emperor at the age of 18 in A.D 391 and used his own year “YoungRak”, and during 22 years of his emperorship, he conquered lands in Manchuria and influenced (controlled) Chinese dynasties.  GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi is what his son JangSuWang made to commemorate his great accomplishment or work. It‘s a huge monument put in Jipan (Jian city, Jirin seong, Manchuria China) with a height of 6.39m, a width of each 1.35m and 2m, a weight of  37t.

  He first asked an official, taking care of cultural assets in Jian-city who accompanied him, to take care of wild grasses nearby the monument and plant beautiful flowers there, giving him 1,000 USD which was big amount of money at that time. And that’s how he began to make a long and hard journey to restore the GoGuRyeo relics. “How on earth can we inspire a national pride to our next generation while the pride of history devastated or ravaged.” On return, President Oh couldn’t feel relaxed himself although he asked the official to do him a favour.  Since then, he slept tossing and turning for a while. It seemed like a sound of moaning GwangGaeTo DaeWang made him awake no matter how hard he tried to fall asleep. He rushed to Jian with a Korean professional gardener (or landscape architect). He begged a few influential executive members (or high officials) to let him restore the relics by himself instead of investing 50,000 USD. Although 8600 Koreans had visited there, no one had spoken about it. But he seemed to look suspicious a little to the executive members because he wanted to restore it spending tens of thousand dollars which they couldn’t ever make through their whole lives. They didn’t give him permission easily although they wished for the money. And no one stopped him with a firm decision for it. President Oh kept persuading them. He told them that they could make much money with well- restored the relics which could bring more travelers to visit, while giving them some pocket (black) money in secret. At last, he got permission after 8 months of persuasion in September, 1997. President Oh couldn’t let an unfamiliar person take care of the restoration. He sent his younger brother, Oh Young-Hwan (55), CEO of Tae Heung Construction Company, who had been brought up by him instead of his early dead father, to lead and supervise the restoration of the relics.

  Younger brother, CEO Oh headed to Jian, expecting to have it finished earlier and come home. But he didn’t dream of staying there for 8 months afterwards. “In the beginning, I felt embarrassed with Chinese labors coming to work for the restoration with dull (not sharp) shovels on their hands. And they put each gravel to the ground of the relics by their hands because there weren’t enough equipment for it. And I couldn’t encourage them to proceed working without giving them spare (black) money until I made it. I should also give them strong liquors everyday. One executive member who was in charge of giving us permission of the restoration, showed him up in 15 days, saying that he told me to drop by somewhere just for a while. I felt like going crazy with these, not being able to speak even Chinese.“ 

Transplanting Korea orientated pine trees instead of juniper

 He just managed to change a new entrance to “GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi”, to renew or restore the walls and to replace tiles of the walls and the monument house (a house or building to keep the monument). He also planted wild grasses around the monument house, and made 2.6 km long and 4~ 5 meter wide paved good looking road with cement and concrete, ranging from the site of GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi to “JangSuWang Reung (JangSuWang emperor’s tomb, a son of GwangGaeTo DaeWang). Younger brother, Oh thought their project became over, feeling relaxation. But President Oh gave him not easy instruction which was to transplant Korea orientated pine trees there. It was around May, 1998. “Actually the planted trees, arbor vitae and juniper near the monument site were almost dead so they looked very ugly and messy too much. I felt like even an evil could appear. Aren’t we different with the relics from the thoughtless Chinese authority in the province? That’s why my older brother decided to cut off every juniper trees and plant Korea orientated pine trees there. But we didn’t imagine (expect) that it was too hard (difficult) for us to make it.

©  In august, 1996, “GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi” when president Oh visited there for the first time.  All the Chinese orientated trees, arbor vitae and juniper nearby looked very awful, being almost dead. (Given by Oh Hyo-Jeong)

  I can’t talk everything about those horrible moments (experiences) without spending a night. Younger brother Oh recalled.

 He had troubled double (or had two troubles); one was to persuade officials in the Chinese authority who were in charge of. The other was financial difficulty of his company. Unfortunately there was IMF crisis – footnote. An economic crisis with foreign money in December 1998 in Korea . The cost (or expenses) of construction (or project – restoring the site) was being raised daily while foreign exchange rate went up skyrocketingly (? mean too much unbelievably). – footnote. For example, an exchange rate of US Dollar to Korean won became from <1USD: 750~780 Won> up to <1 USD: over 2000 Won>.  “I was going crazy with financial status that unbelievable amount of the money was disappearing (or vaporing) when I checked it out every morning.”

  President Oh was confused for a short while. In a moment, he came across an idea that how China would see (or think of or evaluate) him and Korea if he would stop it in the middle (or midway). It seemed that he would lose his personal trust (credit) as well as make (or bring) disgrace (or shame) of the country unless he would keep his promise already. That’s why he pushed (carried) it on without any other thought (or consideration). He made a plan to transplant white birch and red pine trees indigenous to Mt. BaekDu ( BaekDuSan Mountain in North Korea ) there.  But when he began to put his plan into practice, the officials in Jian city and labors unexpectedly demanded more money again. The cost of pine tree became soaring high unreasonably.

  “They asked us 60 Jeon in Chinese currency per one pine tree in the beginning. We accepted the price and when we started, they suddenly excused us that they quoted us wrong and asked us to pay 6 won per one which was 10 times expensive. 

  We were embarrassed but accepted it but when we loaded pine trees in the truck they asked us to pay 60 won again. The original price became 100 times higher suddenly. But I had no choice but carrying on it. Because my older brother was so determined and I also thought I could come home quickly when I was finished with this project. ” Younger brother Oh says even till now that time makes me still shuddering.

©  President Oh and his daughter in front of the pine trees and the monument. The pine trees were transplanted from South Korea with his idea of intention to inspire a spirit of Korean nationality. The monument was made by Chinese Jian authority to commemorate their special thank to Oh brothers. Suddenly, Chinese authority removed everything without any notice. (Given by Oh Hyo-Jeong)

Chinese authority changed their attitude….. To remove the commemorating monument and pine trees.

They could finish their project in two years after August 1996 when they decided to remodel it. After then, Oh brothers wouldn't be ashamed as one of Korean descendants of GwangGaeTo DaeWang. They had no choice but looking forward to the future when they could do abandoned GwangGaeTo DaeWang Reung which stood nearby the relics that they remolded. It seemed that Jian-city authority was much impressed by Oh brothers’ devotion. They built up a monument with the names of Oh brothers nearby the tomb for the brothers in memory of their exploit on November 1998.  Furthermore, they appointed President Oh to as an honorary mayor of Jian city and younger brother Oh as an Advisor (or consultant) of economics on May 1999. Oh brothers are Koreans who were first promoted in the highest position of Jian city as figures who brightened Jian city.

The time had passed like that. Afterwards, President Oh visited Jian city two or three times more. And he was astonished again. The pine trees which he spent lot of money to transplant were disappeared and the monument with the names of his and his younger brothers became missing . He couldn't believe in it. Because at that time, the social party secretary of Jian city made promises to keep the pine trees and monument at the same place for long. But high officials in Jian city who gave him a permission of remodeling and other officials taking care of the cultural assets were moved (positioned to somewhere) and no one explained him why the pine trees and monument were destroyed. But it seemed manifest that Chinese authority tried to eradicate any trace of Korean’s materialistic and psychological devotion to GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi.

  “DongBuk GongJeong (東北工程)” which Chinese government define that GoGuRyeo was part of Chinese regional regime has brought a big  issue between Korean and China. “DongBuk GongJeong” is a Chinese national project to research a history, geography, national problem and so on in Northern East province, Manchuria . Chinese government officially inaugurated the project on February 28, 2002 to justify themselves to include GoGuRyeo history to Chinese. This research project will be promoted for the next 5 years leaded by Chinese social science institute and a committee of the communist party of 3 seong (Chinese name of the state) in Northern East after its ratification of Chinese communist party. Chinese government have spent huge budget to restore GoGuRyeo relics as well as research them. For a few months since last April, China have widened and paved the road to GoGuRyeo relics in Jian city, excavated the site of the palace and built up a park for GoGuRyeo historical relics.

 On last October 1^st, they newly opened Jian museum and fairly put a bulletin in the main lobby, saying that GoGuRyeo was Chinese minority in Northern East and one of Chinese regional regime. They also have persistently operated to make major relics of GoGuRyeo, like GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi, become Chinese.

   In 2002, they had already applied to register GoGuRyeo relics to World heritage of culture by UNESCO. And there is a big possibility that GoGuRyeo relics in china can be registered as World heritage of culture by World heritage committee, being held in Suzou , China on this June. (GoGuRyeo relics in China were registered as world cultural heritage)

   Forbidding him to shoot it with camera even from the far place.

   That’s why china had done such things to renew “GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi” which they had abandoned it and to remove a trace of brothers Oh.  President Oh visited Jian, China alone to look around “GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi” on last mid November. He couldn’t come close to GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi which he had spent his own money and devotedly taken care of it like his father’s monument. 

  Chinese authority had treated “GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi” like handling their national treasure. The site of GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi was protected by an iron  fence. And GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi was put in the bullet proof glass. There were also cameras installed everywhere and guards with a guard dog to watch the surroundings of GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi for 24 hours. Moreover, they forbid people to shoot it even from the far places with camera. If one will be exposed to shoot it with camera by the authority, he should pay a huge amount money for the penalty and also have his camera confisticated (forfeited or taken forcefully) by them. Although he had spent tens of thousand dollars to restore it with an official permission, Chinese authority didn’t let him inside an iron fence. But he took just several pictures of it with a help of local person (living in that province) who he had been familiar with and had to return reluctantly.

  On the one hand, he felt relieved with the fact that GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi is protected wholeheartedly by Chinese authority although the protection is rather not early but too late and untimely. But on the other hand, he had mixed feeling and was scared about the fact that it can be taken away by china without doing any action to stop them.  He maintains that Korea should keep a spirit and history of GoGuRyeo for long although many invaluable GoGuRye relics including “GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi” still exist in the territory of China  

  He asked in return “Nevertheless, wasn’t it lucky for Korea that a Korean (mean himself) had rehabilitated (restored) the site of GwangGaeTo DawWangBi although I had spent much money for it”. And how on earth can we say proudly that GoGuRyeo is also Korean history if we had left it behind as Chinese had done? At least we won’t be ashamed about it, keeping our justice and pride. For sure, Chinese had left (or abandoned) the relics of GoGuRyeo ruined treating them not theirs. What would happen if they had restored it with their money on the process of “Dongbuk GongJeong” more earlier than what we did. Then we would not have said aloud that GoGuRyeo is Korean history.”

©  Tourists listening to the guide’s explanation about newly remodeled “GwangGaeTo DaeWangBi” by brothers Oh (Given by Oh Hyo-Jeong)