A man's 500-km running to commemorate Nat'l Liberation Day

A man's 500-km running to commemorate Nat'l Liberation Day. August. 16, 2016 06:48. by 정지영기자 jjy2011@donga.com. On Monday noon, a weather-beaten looking man came running toward the state of King Sejong in Gwanghwamun Square of Seoul. He was pushing a stroller and shouting “Long Live Peaceful Unification!” Although he ran for 12 days from Busan to Seoul without break, he did not look at all tired. Rather, he looked happy.

He is Kang Myeong-goo who ran for Korea reunification. “I’ve decided to run a 500-km course as I wanted to deliver the message to return the remains of the victims who ended their life in faraway lands after forced drafts during the period of Japanese occupation to their homelands,” Kang said.

The 59-year-old began from the Monumental Tower for the Anti-Japanese Students’ Movement in Busan on Aug. 4, and finished his journey in Gwanghwamun Square on the 71st National Liberation Day.  He ran through Daegu, Daejeon, Cheonan and Yongin.

The temperature did not dropped below 35 degrees Celsius during his race and sometime it went over 40 degrees Celsius. The asphalt road was boiling hot sufficient enough to get burned with bare skins. He ran for 10 hours and drank more than 7.5 liters of water each day. He often had to sleep in a tent when he could not find accommodations nearby. His stroller was full of tent, sleeping bag, insulated bottle, and first-aid kit.

The quest had never been easy. “Of course, I was exhausted by scorching heat. But I didn’t stopped running as I believed that people would be interested in my running for peaceful reunification as tough as the race could be and it was my duty as an ancestor of the victims,” he cheerfully said. "I settled myself down to the run by thinking that I can overcome summer heat waves so as to deliver the message to solace revengeful spirits by bringing back their remains to the home country."

Last year, Kang gained the attention as he ran a 5,300-km-long course across the U.S. His love for the nation came from his father who was born in Hwanghae Province, North Korea. He had a strong attachment to Korea reunification as he heard a lot of stories about the North when he was young. His hobby is surely running. “I’ve got two legs and I can run any country, anywhere, besides North Korea," he said. "It’s very sad. I hope for the reunification of Korea so that I could run on the road of North Korea at any time soon.”