SKT Develops 10 National Routes by Analyzing Activities of 18,000 Independence Activists with AI

Joint Campaign with Independence Hall of Korea for the 81st Anniversary of Liberation Day

CEO Jaeheon Jung and singer Sean running together in front of Saemoonan Church on the 'Remembering the Women Who Led Independence' course established in Jongno-gu. Provided by SK Telecom.

Through artificial intelligence (AI), the paths once walked and trodden by over 18,000 independence activists—including Ahn Changho, Kim Gu, and Yun Bonggil—are being restored as routes for future generations to walk and run.

On August 10, SK Telecom announced the launch of the “Remembering 18,776 Independence Activists” campaign in collaboration with the Independence Hall of Korea, commemorating the 81st anniversary of Liberation Day. The campaign will establish courses retracing the footprints of national martyrs and patriots for future generations to follow.

This campaign was designed to encourage people to remember the names of independence activists—whose stories previously existed only in records—within their daily lives. SK Telecom used its own AI foundation model, “A.X K2,” to analyze activity records of 18,776 independence activists registered in the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs’ Electronic Archives of Meritorious Service. These records were integrated with location-based data to create walking and running routes in 10 locations across Korea.

The courses span a total of 44.6 kilometers across major cities, from Seoul to Jeju. Participants in the campaign include CEO Jaeheon Jung of SK Telecom, singer Sean, marathoner Lee Bongju, and descendants of independence activists. Prior to the public release of the courses, these participants ran the “Remembering” routes nationwide, reflecting on the noble spirit of the past heroes. A video documenting this was released through the SK Telecom YouTube channel on August 8.

The video begins at the “Remembering Women Who Led Independence” course, established in Jongno-gu, Seoul. CEO Jung and Sean started at Saemunan Church, ran past the former site of the Geunwoohoe Hall and the former Song Gye-Wol boarding house, and continued to the Open Songhyeon Green Square.

CEO Jung remarked, “You can sense the footsteps of the women independence activists who broke the silence imposed by their times and bravely called for the nation’s self-reliance and independence.” Sean expressed, “Along this route, you can encounter the spirit of the women who led the independence movement from the very front—not as someone’s daughter, wife, or mother, but as principal actors in history.”

Musical actress Hong Jimin took charge of the “Remembering the Uniformed Heroes” course in Incheon, which honors the student-led independence movement. Her father, Professor Hong Changsik, was also an independence activist who engaged in anti-Japanese activities at the age of sixteen.

General citizens can also participate in the campaign by walking or running the 10 routes across Korea using the “Runday” running app. Lee Seungyeol, Head of SK Telecom’s Strategic Comm Office, stated, “We created this campaign so that citizens could actively remember the 18,776 names recorded in our history by walking and running these routes themselves. We will continue our efforts to honor and publicize the footsteps of the independence activists.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.