As you just saw... the pope has a beatification ceremony planned in his upcoming visit... but there's one person not on that list,... one person who many Koreans eventually hope to see added. Our Yim Yoonhee tells us about that person and his art work. A heroic character in Korean history. Ahn Jung-geun sacrificed for the whole country when he took the life of the then- Resident General of Korea, Ito Hirobumi. But what some don't know is that Ahn also had an artistic side to him, seen in this sign, preserved through the years. It's one of his last works, created while in prison, and it reveals his devout Catholic faith, which he held on to until the end. With the words "Respect of Heaven" written in traditional Hanja writing, Ahn also wrote his name, and left a handprint that's easily distinguished by his half-missing ring finger. "Ahn Jung-geun was given the death sentence on February 15th, but before that, many Japanese individuals went to Ahn requesting various different writings and signs." And that's how this particular sign came to be. It was originally in the possession of a prison warden, but found its way into the warden's son's hands, and was then returned to Korea from Japan. "Ahn Jung-geun wanted more than anything to have peace in Asia, but he also always followed his faith,... so this is actually a happy event." Last March, the sign failed to sell at an auction, but recently the Seoul Jamwon Catholic Church bought it and then donated the piece to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul. And now it's being put on display, in hopes of catching the attention of a very special upcoming visitor. "When the pope visits this time, along with the beatification ceremony, Ahn Jung-geun's life will hopefully be recognized, and become a light for others." The sign will be on display at the Seoul Museum of History, and will be available for viewing,... just in time for Pope Francis. Yim Yoonhee, Arirang News.

• published: 06 Aug 2014
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