Seogangsa Shrine enshrines Taesagong Yun Sindal (諱 莘達), the founding ancestor of the Papyeong Yun clan, who assisted King Taejo Wang Geon of Goryeo as a founding meritorious subject and held titles including Samhan Ikchan Gongsin and Samjung Daegwang Taesa. It also honors six ancestral sages including the 5th ancestor, Munsukgong Yun Gwan (諱 瓘); 6th ancestor, Munganggong Yun Eoni (諱 彥頤); 8th ancestor, Namwonbaek Yun Wi (諱 威); 10th ancestor, Ham-anbaek Yun Don (諱 敦); and 11th ancestor, Munheongong Yun Bo (諱 珤). It is the only shrine of its kind nationwide, conducting a memorial ceremony annually on the 18th day of the 3rd lunar month. Founder Yun Sindal was a meritorious subject of early Goryeo who aided King Taejo and attained the title Samhan Ikchan Gongsin. Yun Gwan was a famous general during Goryeo who conquered the Jurchen and built nine fortresses in the northeast, enshrined in King Yejong's tomb. Yun Eoni, his son, was a civil official active in politics during King Yejong's reign. The 8th ancestor Yun Wi founded the Namwon Yun clan, and the 10th ancestor Yun Don founded the Ham-an Yun clan. The shrine grounds include a memorial hall honoring the six sages, the lecture hall Gyeongmojae, Yukyeonggwan (a private school for children of relatives who came to study in Gwangju, functioning today as Namdo Haksook), and official buildings. Monuments such as the Seogangsa Shrine Monument, the Six Ancestral Sages’ Biographical Stele, the equestrian statue of General Munsukgong Yun Gwan, and a well are also located here. The shrine is built on a three-tier granite foundation with Jeongpyeongju bases and round wooden columns, comprising three bays in front and one bay on the side with an eight-ridged tiled roof. Each corner has three curved bracket arms supporting the eaves, with brelmo joinery on the column heads and a single modified bracket inserted between the columns to support the ceiling beams. The interior features a well ceiling with two main pillars and five beams. The windows and doors include flanking hinged doors and a central pair of double folding doors decorated with lattice windows; the lintel sits below the beam and includes molded patterns above. Eaves utilize flat horizontal boards forming a double-layer eave structure with dual bracket arms. The front facade is relatively well decorated with dancheong coloring and has a three-panel main door. Gyeongmojae functions as the lecture hall of Seogangsa, constructed on a 1.8m granite stair foundation with a concrete base and round wooden columns, featuring five bays in front and one on the side with a Japanese-style tiled roof and eight-ridged roof form. The interior has a central main hall and heated ondol rooms on both sides, separated by folding doors. The ceiling has a well shape with trapezoidal panel beams resting on the main beam and girder, classified as a five-beam structure. The column heads frame only the bracket arms and rafters; however, side bays add small rafters and lintels. Windows and doors vary with double folding doors on the sides and a central four-panel folding door with lattice windows. The ondol rooms have additional folding doors, and at the rear, two folding doors open to the main hall with wind windows above the ondol rooms. Recently, glass windows were added to protect against wind and rain. The main gate, a fil-sik door, is a soseul (double-leaf) gate decorated with wooden carvings including holsil and geobukgwi-mun motifs. The building dates to Danki 4301 (1968).
Gwangju is a region where various independence movements unfolded, starting with the Gwangju Student Movement during the Japanese colonial period. It was natural for the March 1st Independence Movement to take place in this region. The Gwangju 3.1 Independence Movement Monument was created to commemorate the March 1st Movement in the Gwangju area and to honor the spirit of those times. Measuring 4㎡ in area and 7m in length, it depicts female students holding Taegukgi flags and shouting independence slogans during the March 1st Movement. Built on May 10, 1995, the monument is located inside the back gate of Gwangju Sophia Girls’ High School. The front side is inscribed with ‘Gwangju 3.1 Independence Movement Commemoration,’ and the back side bears the names of Sophia Girls’ High School students who led the Gwangju 3.1 Movement on March 10, 1919, and endured imprisonment for it, as a way to honor them. The monument lists 23 names including Park Sunae, Lee Taeok, Kim Yangsun, Yoon Hyeolnyeo, Kim Deoksun, Jo Okhee, Lee Geumbong, Ha Youngja, Kang Hwaseon, Lee Rahyeol, Choi Suhyang, Kim Mansun, and Hong Soonhae. On the side is a memorial poem titled ‘Become a Star of History’: ‘Whose name has anyone left behind for eternity? Standing at the forefront of the 1919 March 1st Movement, pledging loyalty with the will to save the nation, placing the Taegukgi before us and shouting independence. When the nation was invaded by Japan’s guns and swords, choosing to fight risking life to break the chains rather than live without freedom. Even after enduring cruel torture, the noble spirit of patriotism who overcame it shines as a star of history forever.’
