Shanghai: President Lee Jae Myung announced on Thursday that he had visited a significant historical site in Shanghai, where Korean independence fighter Yun Bong-gil carried out a bombing in protest against Japan's colonial rule.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee shared his experience in a Facebook post, revealing that he toured Lu Xun Park, formerly known as Hongkou Park, on the concluding day of his state visit to China. This visit followed his earlier trip to the nearby historical site of the former headquarters of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.

In 1932, Yun Bong-gil detonated a bomb at the park during a Japanese celebration marking Emperor Hirohito's birthday and Japan's occupation of large parts of Shanghai. The bombing resulted in the deaths or fatal injuries of several senior Japanese officials. Lee described the site as a place where Yun "made a declaration of his country's sovereignty and the dignity of his people."

Lee noted that the act was "an outright challenge to the imperialist order of invasion and exploitation," demonstrating Yun's strong belief in the possibility of solidarity for peace. He further asserted that the incident "completely changed the course of modern East Asian history," as it led the Chinese government to formally acknowledge Korea's provisional government in exile, established in 1919, and helped unite scattered independence forces across the region.

Lee emphasized that "Shanghai became a center of solidarity for freedom and dignity beyond borders," and pledged to honor the sacrifices and dedication of forebearers while pursuing diplomacy that promotes "peace and co-prosperity" amid a changing geopolitical landscape.

Lee also remarked on the enduring "scars of history" and the existence of confrontations in today's turbulent international order. "In times like this, we need politics of respect rather than the logic of force, and diplomacy of cooperation rather than confrontation," he concluded.