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| ▲ This photo, provided by Starbucks Korea, shows the delivery ceremony. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Starbucks Korea, shows the mug and tumbler designed with the theme of the Rose of Sharon. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Feb. 28 (Yonhap) -- Starbucks Korea has held a monumental delivery ceremony for a cultural heritage that contributed to the growth of the nationwide independence movement from Japanese colonialism ahead of the 104th anniversary of the March 1st Movement Day, also dubbed the Sam-il Movement in South Korea.
Starbucks delivered on Tuesday the handwritten calligraphy of Kim Gu – a prominent Korean statesman and independence activist who is also known by his pen name Baekbeom – to the Cultural Heritage National Trust at the Jungmyeonjeon Hall of Deoksugung Palace.
The calligraphy, which wrote “Any act of will is achieved” in Chinese characters, was written by Kim Gu in April 1949 in commemoration of Yoon Bong-gil’s Hongkew Park Bombing in Shanghai, China, targeting the key executive officers of the Japanese Empire. This cultural heritage is also known as the last calligraphy the pre-eminent activist wrote two months before his death in June 1949.
Since 2015, the world’s largest coffee branch has been giving away historically monumental handwritten calligraphies, including Kim Gu’s “Preserving the original pure heart and cultivating nature,” Dosan Ahn Chang-ho’s “You must first make an effort to be a better person yourself in order to change society,” and Manhae Han Yong-woon’s “The great world of truth does not stay but constantly changes.”
Starbucks also delivered 300 commemorative tumblers with Kim Gu’s calligraphy imprinted on the front.
Meanwhile, Starbucks will showcase mugs and tumblers designed with the theme of the Rose of Sharon (the official flower of South Korea) to mark the 104th anniversary of the Sam-il Movement, and will donate some of the proceeds from the sale to the Independent Cultural Heritage Protection Fund.
These merchandise products will be available for purchase at Starbucks stores nationwide from Mar. 1.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)
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