On the 106th anniversary of Samil Day today, actress Song Hye-kyo and actor Kim Nam-gil are delivering patriotic actions, spreading a positive influence as 'concept actors.'
To mark March 1, the 106th anniversary of Samil Day, Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University and actor Kim Nam-gil collaborated to release a multilingual video introducing poet and independence activist Yun Dong-ju.
This 5-minute video was produced as part of the KB Kookmin Bank 'The Republic has lived' campaign and is available in Korean and English, widely disseminated to internet users both domestically and internationally. It detailed his 'independence spirit,' which did not waver even while he was arrested and on trial by Japan regarding his thoughts on the independence of his homeland. In particular, to mark the 80th anniversary of his death this year, generative AI was used to recreate the appearance of Yun Dong-ju within the video.
In response, Professor Seo emphasized, "It is the most important task that our generation must undertake to shed light on independence activists who are gradually being forgotten by the public and to widely share their lives through video," adding that, "It is being spread not only on YouTube but also on various social media platforms and shared widely within major Korean and international student communities around the world."
Additionally, actor Kim Nam-gil, who provided the Korean narration, said, "I am happy to introduce the life of Yun Dong-ju with my voice and only hope that many domestic and international internet users will watch it."
In response, internet users remarked, “Hearing the poems of poet Yun Dong-ju with Kim Nam-gil's voice is fantastic,” and “It seems that such noble actions by celebrities create a synergy,” showing warm reactions. The similar actions of actress Song Hye-kyo were also mentioned.
It seems that Professor Seo Kyung-duk has been consistently involved in patriotic actions not only with Kim Nam-gil but also with actress Song Hye-kyo. This is because Song Hye-kyo has donated Korean-language guides, Korean signs, and sculptures of independence activists to 36 locations of Korea's independence movement heritage remaining overseas over the past 14 years.
In this regard, Professor Seo recently noted through his social media, "I believe that Ms. Hye-kyo's greatest strengths are 'genuineness' and 'consistency.' The incident where she rejected an advertising model offer from Mitsubishi Motors in Japan long ago due to it being a war criminal corporation is a very famous anecdote. Her saying at that time, 'I am doing something meaningful at the sites of Korea's independence movement with the professor, and I think it's only natural' still resonates vividly."
He added, "This year marks the 80th anniversary of liberation. Therefore, we are preparing meaningful activities together. Please look forward to it," drawing interest in what historical actions Song Hye-kyo will undertake this year, with internet users collectively expressing, “I am so glad to see such a positive influence to remember those who helped achieve our country's independence,” and “I hope there are many stories of patriotic actions starting with famous actors.”
[OSEN]