Memorial for Korean who fought Japanese colonization

A memorial opened on Sunday in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang province, to commemorate a Korean patriot who killed a top Japanese official over a century ago.

Ahn Jung Geun shot dead Hirobumi Ito, who had served as the prime minister of Japan four times before becoming resident-general of Korea in 1905, at Harbin railway station on Oct. 26, 1909.

The memorial hall, invested by the Harbin municipal government and railway authorities, consists of exhibition rooms telling the story of Ahn's life, and shows the exact spot where the shooting took place.

Ahn, born in 1879, devoted himself to the education of the Korean people and later joined armed resistance in northeast China and Russia.

After Japan forced the Korean Empire to sign a protectorate treaty in 1905, Ito became the de facto ruler of Korea.

Ahn was arrested at the scene of shooting and secretly executed in March 1910 by the Japanese government.

"People have cherished the memory of Ahn for the past century. Today we erect a memorial to him and call on peace loving people around the world to unite, resist invasions and oppose war," said Sun Yao, vice governor of Heilongjiang.

Harbin put an exhibition of Ahn's life on regular display at a local museum in 2006. The exhibition has now moved into the memorial hall. Some of the items on display were collected from Hong Kong and overseas. Most of the things left behind by Ahn are in the hands of the Japanese, according to staff at the hall.

"Ahn Jung Geun was not a terrorist but one who confronted colonization bravely," said Da Zhigang, director of the institute of northeast Asian studies of Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences.

"I believe the purpose of building this memorial hall is not to cut off communication but to remind people of the real history at the time and to call for peace," Da added.

Harbin railway station was built in 1899. It will serve an estimated 10 million passengers during the Spring Festival, which begins on Jan. 31 this year.

The memorial hall offers free admission to the general public.