The late Gu Tae-hoe, honorary chairman of LS Cable & System, has had his daughter, Gu Hye-jung, acquire the previously undisclosed writings of patriot Ahn Jung-geun at auction.
According to LS Group on the 23rd, Gu received Ahn's writing titled "Green Bamboo" from a Japanese collector at Seoul Auction for 940 million won at the auction held the previous day.
"Green Bamboo," meaning blue bamboo, is a phrase that appears in "Chugu," a collection of traditional five-character poems, symbolizing integrity and principles. It is known to have been written by Ahn in Lu Xun Prison before his execution in February 1910.
Gu noted, "I received this writing with the hope of sharing the noble intentions of Ahn Jung-geun with more people, and I am considering donating it to public institutions such as the National Museum for academic research and making it accessible to more citizens."
Gu's spouse, Lee In-jeong, president of the Asian Mountain Federation, acquired Ahn's writing titled "Il Tong Cheong Hwa-gong" and has donated it to the Academy of Korean Studies, a government institution. This writing is currently designated as a national treasure.
Gu's second son, Lee Sang-hyun, representative of Taein, serves as a director of the Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Association and donated stamps, postcards, and medals related to Ahn in 2018. Last July, he unveiled 12 types of banknotes related to Japan's First National Bank, identified by Ahn as part of Ito Hirobumi's 15 crimes. In March of this year, he also introduced a previously unseen Japanese postal postcard featuring both Ahn and Ito in commemoration of the 115th anniversary of Ahn's death.