Actor Song Hye-kyo and Sungshin Women’s University professor Seo Kyoung-duk donated 10,000 guidebooks to the Dr. Lee Tae Joon Memorial Park in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in celebration of Korea’s Liberation Day on Thursday.

Prof. Seo shared the news on his social media channels the same day along with photos of him and Song and the guidebooks that the pair have donated over the past 13 years.


Lee Tae-joon (1883-1921) was a doctor and independence activist who went to Mongolia in 1914 and opened a hospital to practice modern medicine and established anti-Japanese movements with local patriots. His memorial park in Mongolia was founded in 2001.

The guidebooks this year were created in Korean and Mongolian and are already on display at the memorial park, Prof. Seo said.

“We thought it was the appropriate time to donate the guidebooks to help spread awareness of the independence fighter, considering the increase of Korean tourists to Mongolia,” he wrote in the post.

He also pointed out that Korean historic independence sites located overseas tend not to be preserved well and expressed his wish that this project heightens awareness.

In total, Song and Seo together have made donations of Korean guidebooks and signboards to 37 overseas Korean historical sites.

Seo made the Dr. Lee Tae Joon Memorial Park guidebook available to download online, along with other materials the pair have donated in the past.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]