Memorial space for late K-pop star Moonbin to be transferred to temple
The memorial space for the late K-pop idol Moonbin, a member of boy band ASTRO, will be transferred to a temple.
Moonbin was found dead at his home in Gangnam, Seoul at about 8:10 p,m. on April 19 by his manager who reported it to the police, according to the Seoul Gangnam Police Station. No evidence of foul play was found. He was 25.
ASTRO's Moonbin (Fantagio)
The Gukcheongsa Temple (Screenshot from Google Maps)
The memorial space for Moonbin at the Fantagio building in Gangnam, Seoul (Korean online community)
Following his death, a memorial space was set up at the building of Fantagio, ASTRO’s agency, in Gangnam, Seoul. It was announced in April that the memorial space was extended until June 6, which is the 49th day of Moonbin’s death. “In traditional Korean funeral procedure, there is the 49th Day Rite, which is held 49 days after death, as the deceased goes through trials in the netherworld for 48 days before the process of reincarnation,” the Korea Times reported. In a new announcement on June 4, Fantagio said the memorial space will be transferred within the Namhansanseong Gukcheongsa Temple located in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. “First of all, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to AROHA [ASTRO fans], who personally visited Sky Park until the 49-day ceremony of Moon Bin to reminisce and comfort each other by sharing sorrow,” it said. It added, “We fully understand the longing of AROHA to honor Moon Bin for a longer period. After careful consideration and discussion with the bereaved family, we have prepared a memorial space outside where AROHA, who has always shown unconditional love, can extend warm greetings to Moon Bin for a longer period.” “Although Moon Bin's religion is not Buddhism, in response to the request of the bereaved family we have prepared a dedicated space called 'Moon's Space' within the Namhansanseong Gukcheongsa Temple. It is planned to be operated for a longer period starting on June 7, 2023 at 5:30 am.,” Fantagio added. It said, “We understand that the path to the Gukcheongsa Temple is uphill and narrow and may be very inconvenient, but we sincerely hope that it’ll be a space where AROHA can visit anytime to find solace and feel comforted.” Ahead of the opening of the new memorial space, ASTRO’s Cha Eun-woo and Sanha visited the place. On June 4, Cha Eun-woo uploaded photos on his Instagram account showing him and Sanha at what appeared to be the Namhansanseong Fortress.
ASTRO's Cha Eun-woo and Sanha at Namhansanseong Fortress (Instagram)
Here is the rest of Fantagio’s announcement including how to get to Moonbin's new memorial space: 1\. Opening hours The operating hours of the Namhansanseong Gukcheongsa Temple are from 5:30 am to 6:30 pm. However, we kindly request that visitors arrive no later than 5:30 p.m. and leave by 6:30 p.m. at the latest. Additionally, please note that the parking lot within the Namhansanseong Gukcheongsa Temple will have its entrance blocked from 6:00 p.m., and entry with vehicles will not be possible. Therefore, we request that AROHA who plan to use their own cars arrive no later than 5:30 p.m 2\. Directions Address of the Namhansanseong Gukcheongsa Temple: 105, 780beon-gil, Namhansanseong-ro, Namsan-myeon, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. As the Gukcheongsa Temple is located within the mountains of Namhansanseong, there may be inconveniences in terms of transportation and accessibility. We ask for your understanding. Furthermore, please note that the path to Gukcheongsa Temple requires a strenuous uphill hike, so we recommend bringing water with you in advance. (\*Foreign visitors are kindly requested to refrain from using cabs as expected to experience various incontinences when using cabs.) 1) Public Transportation (Subway and Bus) For those using public transportation, follow the order [Subway -> Bus -> Walk] as described below (1) Subway: Exit from Exit 2 of Sanseong Station on Line 8 and walk straight for 90m in the direction indicated by Exit 2. You will find the "Sanseong Station.Forestia East Gate" bus stop. \* Takes approximately 1 minute on foot. (2) Bus \- Weekdays and weekends: \
From the "Sanseong Station.Forestia East Gate" bus stop, board Bus No. 52 and travel for 5 stops. Get off at the "Namhansanseong (Terminus)" bus stop.
\* Takes approximately 15 minutes by bus.
\* Bus frequency: Weekdays - every 90-100 minutes, weekends - every 130-150 minutes.
First bus: 06:00, Last bus: 19:50 (based on Namhansanseong)
\
From the "Sanseong Station.Forestia East Gate" bus stop, board Bus No. 9 and travel for 17 stops. Get off at the "Namhansanseong (Terminus)" bus stop.
\* Takes approximately 30 minutes by bus.
\* Bus frequency: Weekdays - every 10-20 minutes, weekends - every 10-30 minutes.
\* First bus: 06:00, Last bus: 23:10 (based on Namhansanseong)
(Note: On weekends, additional Bus No. 9-1 is in operation.)
(3) Walk:
After getting off at the "Namhansanseong (Terminus)" bus stop, cross the street toward the direction of Emart24 and enter in the direction of Sanseong Folk Village on the left side.
Then, walk uphill for approximately 1.1km in the direction of the Gukcheongsa Temple.
\* Takes approximately 20 minutes on foot.
2) Car
There is a parking space available within the Gukcheongsa Temple that can accommodate approximately 10 vehicles. (Please note that the road is narrow. Alternatively, it is also possible to park at the nearby Namhansanseong parking lot and walk approximately 1.1km to reach the Gukcheongsa Temple on foot. The Namhansanseong parking lot is located nearby and consists of three separate paid parking lots. The parking fee is 3,000 won on weekdays and 5,000 won on weekends.
Please refer to the addresses below:
Namhansanseong Provincial Park South Gate Parking Lot: 1042 Sanseong-ri, Namsan-myeon, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do.
Namhansanseong Provincial Park Rotary Parking Lot: 527 Sanseong-ri, Namsan-myeon, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do.
Namhansanseong Provincial Park Central Parking Lot: 404-1 Sanseong-ri, Namsan-myeon, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do.
3\. Refrain from flower tributes
We would greatly appreciate it if you could refrain from bringing food and flowers, except for letters or notes. While we fully understand that these are heartfelt expressions for Moon Bin, the temple is in the mountains, making it difficult to ensure proper preservation due to insects and other substances.
To accommodate AROHA's desire to leave notes, we will install a dedicated board in the Moon's Space where you can attach your messages. We will regularly collect and carefully preserve them. For letters, please kindly place them in the letterbox provided in the Moon's Space.
ASTRO's Moonbin (Fantagio)
The Gukcheongsa Temple (Screenshot from Google Maps)
The memorial space for Moonbin at the Fantagio building in Gangnam, Seoul (Korean online community)
Following his death, a memorial space was set up at the building of Fantagio, ASTRO’s agency, in Gangnam, Seoul. It was announced in April that the memorial space was extended until June 6, which is the 49th day of Moonbin’s death. “In traditional Korean funeral procedure, there is the 49th Day Rite, which is held 49 days after death, as the deceased goes through trials in the netherworld for 48 days before the process of reincarnation,” the Korea Times reported. In a new announcement on June 4, Fantagio said the memorial space will be transferred within the Namhansanseong Gukcheongsa Temple located in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province in South Korea. “First of all, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to AROHA [ASTRO fans], who personally visited Sky Park until the 49-day ceremony of Moon Bin to reminisce and comfort each other by sharing sorrow,” it said. It added, “We fully understand the longing of AROHA to honor Moon Bin for a longer period. After careful consideration and discussion with the bereaved family, we have prepared a memorial space outside where AROHA, who has always shown unconditional love, can extend warm greetings to Moon Bin for a longer period.” “Although Moon Bin's religion is not Buddhism, in response to the request of the bereaved family we have prepared a dedicated space called 'Moon's Space' within the Namhansanseong Gukcheongsa Temple. It is planned to be operated for a longer period starting on June 7, 2023 at 5:30 am.,” Fantagio added. It said, “We understand that the path to the Gukcheongsa Temple is uphill and narrow and may be very inconvenient, but we sincerely hope that it’ll be a space where AROHA can visit anytime to find solace and feel comforted.” Ahead of the opening of the new memorial space, ASTRO’s Cha Eun-woo and Sanha visited the place. On June 4, Cha Eun-woo uploaded photos on his Instagram account showing him and Sanha at what appeared to be the Namhansanseong Fortress.
ASTRO's Cha Eun-woo and Sanha at Namhansanseong Fortress (Instagram)
Here is the rest of Fantagio’s announcement including how to get to Moonbin's new memorial space: 1\. Opening hours The operating hours of the Namhansanseong Gukcheongsa Temple are from 5:30 am to 6:30 pm. However, we kindly request that visitors arrive no later than 5:30 p.m. and leave by 6:30 p.m. at the latest. Additionally, please note that the parking lot within the Namhansanseong Gukcheongsa Temple will have its entrance blocked from 6:00 p.m., and entry with vehicles will not be possible. Therefore, we request that AROHA who plan to use their own cars arrive no later than 5:30 p.m 2\. Directions Address of the Namhansanseong Gukcheongsa Temple: 105, 780beon-gil, Namhansanseong-ro, Namsan-myeon, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. As the Gukcheongsa Temple is located within the mountains of Namhansanseong, there may be inconveniences in terms of transportation and accessibility. We ask for your understanding. Furthermore, please note that the path to Gukcheongsa Temple requires a strenuous uphill hike, so we recommend bringing water with you in advance. (\*Foreign visitors are kindly requested to refrain from using cabs as expected to experience various incontinences when using cabs.) 1) Public Transportation (Subway and Bus) For those using public transportation, follow the order [Subway -> Bus -> Walk] as described below (1) Subway: Exit from Exit 2 of Sanseong Station on Line 8 and walk straight for 90m in the direction indicated by Exit 2. You will find the "Sanseong Station.Forestia East Gate" bus stop. \* Takes approximately 1 minute on foot. (2) Bus \- Weekdays and weekends: \