Hyochang Park

Hyochang Park is a park in Yongsan District, Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1876 as a cemetery for the Joseon royal family, it is now simultaneously a park for leisure and a memorial for the Korean independence movement. In 1989, the park was designated a Historic Site of South Korea. The area went by a number of names in its early history, including "Hyochangmyo", "Hyochangwon", and "Kuyongsan'goji". Crown Prince Munhyo, his biological mother Uibin Seong, and several other royal family members were buried in the area in the 19th century. In 1921, the Japanese colonial government turned the park into the first golf course in Korea, with the graves left directly on the course. It was first designated a park in 1940, and the graves were moved out of the park in 1944. After the 1945 liberation, the remains of eight significant Korean independence activists were buried in the park. There has since been continual conflict over whether the park should be used for recreation or as a memorial to the independence movement. The park contains the first stadium constructed by South Korea, Hyochang Stadium, and the Kim Koo Museum. It is located near exit 1 of Hyochang Park station of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway.

Park data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).