President Lee Highlights 1932 Shanghai Bombing During Final Day of China Visit
Updated (2 articles)
Lee Tours Historic Shanghai Sites on State Visit’s Closing Day President Lee Jae‑Myung visited Lu Xun Park—formerly Hongkou Park—on the last day of his state trip, after stopping at the former Provisional Government headquarters, linking the two locations in a single commemorative itinerary[1]. He posted photos and remarks on Facebook, emphasizing the site’s significance to Korean independence memory[1]. The visit underscores South Korea’s effort to foreground historical ties in contemporary diplomacy[1].
Lee Frames Yun Bong‑gil’s Bombing as Sovereignty Declaration and Diplomatic Lesson Lee described Yun Bong‑gil’s 1932 bombing as “a declaration of his country’s sovereignty and the dignity of his people,” calling the act an outright challenge to imperialism[1]. He argued the attack “completely changed the course of modern East Asian history,” prompting Chinese recognition of Korea’s provisional government and uniting regional independence forces[1]. Lee used the episode to advocate a “politics of respect” and “diplomacy of cooperation” amid lingering historical scars[1].
Historical Pattern of Anti‑Japanese Resistance Provides Context for Current Diplomatic Narrative The Jan 8 historical roundup notes earlier anti‑Japanese actions, such as Lee Bong‑chang’s 1932 grenade attack in Tokyo, illustrating a long‑standing tradition of Korean resistance against Japanese imperialism[2]. It also references the 2021 Seoul court ruling ordering Japan to compensate comfort‑women survivors, highlighting ongoing legal and moral disputes rooted in the same era[2]. Lee’s Shanghai remarks therefore resonate within a broader continuum of historical grievances and contemporary calls for reconciliation[1][2].
Sources (2 articles)
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[1]
Yonhap: President Lee visits Shanghai site where Yun Bong‑gil bombed Japanese officials, framing it as a symbol for diplomacy of respect: details Lee’s itinerary, his Facebook commentary linking Yun’s 1932 bombing to sovereignty, and his call for respectful, cooperative diplomacy.
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[2]
Yonhap: Jan. 8 in Korean history: from Lee Bong‑chang's 1932 Tokyo attack to a 2021 comfort‑women ruling: outlines a timeline of Korean anti‑Japanese actions and recent legal victories, providing historical backdrop to Lee’s statements.
Timeline
1932 – Korean independence fighter Yun Bong‑gil detonates a bomb at Hong Kou (now Lu Xun) Park in Shanghai, killing senior Japanese officials and wounding others; the attack “completely changes the course of modern East Asian history” and prompts China to recognize Korea’s provisional government, establishing Shanghai as a hub of anti‑imperial solidarity[1].
1932 – Lee Bong‑chang throws a grenade during a military parade in Tokyo, attempting to assassinate Emperor Hirohito; the failed act becomes an early symbol of Korean resistance against Japanese colonial rule[2].
1965 – South Korea dispatches 2,000 non‑combat troops to Vietnam at the United States’ request, marking Seoul’s active military support in the Vietnam War and cementing its Cold‑War alliance with the U.S.[2].
1974 – President Park Chung‑hee issues emergency decrees to ban debate on revising the Yushin Constitution and to install a military court, tightening authoritarian control and suppressing political dissent[2].
1984 – North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un is reported to be born, signaling a generational shift in the Kim dynasty and foreshadowing future leadership dynamics in the DPRK[2].
1997 – KEDO and North Korea sign light‑water reactor agreements in New York, reviving a nuclear‑energy project after a three‑month suspension caused by a North Korean submarine incursion, illustrating ongoing diplomatic efforts to curb Pyongyang’s nuclear program[2].
2021 – Seoul’s Central District Court orders Japan to pay 100 million won to each of 12 comfort‑women victims, delivering a landmark legal victory that intensifies historical grievances and reparations debates between South Korea and Japan[2].
Jan 8, 2026 – President Lee Jae Myung tours Lu Xun Park on the final day of his state visit to China, posting on Facebook that Yun Bong‑gil “made a declaration of his country’s sovereignty and the dignity of his people” and that the bombing “was an outright challenge to the imperialist order of invasion and exploitation,” while pledging a “diplomacy of respect rather than the logic of force”[1].