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President Moon Jae-in burns incense in front of the coffin of Gen. Hong Beom-do at Seoul Air Base in Gyeongi Province on Saturday. (Yonhap) |
President Moon Jae-in said it is very meaningful that the remains of Gen. Hong Beom-do, a legendary Korean independence fighter, have been repatriated to South Korea's soil, according to his office Monday.
Moon conversed with the three members of his special delegation at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, the previous day. They traveled to Kazakhstan to bring Hong's remains home, 78 years after his death in the Central Asian country. Moon observed the arrival of the remains at the base during a ceremony broadcast live and had a conversation with the team led by Hwang Ki-chul, minister of patriot and veterans affairs.
"It represents a very meaningful return for us," Moon was quoted as telling them.
The other members of the delegation are Rep. Woo Won-shik of the ruling Democratic Party and Cho Jin-woong, an actor who starred in films on Korea's fight for liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. Woo leads a local foundation to commemorate Hong, who served as commander of Korea's independence army.
The general is especially famous for leading the independence militias to a historic victory in the Battle of Fengwudong, called Bong-o-dong in Korea, in northeastern China against Japanese forces in 1920.
Speaking to the actor, tapped as honorary ambassador for campaign to honor Hong, Moon requested proactive efforts to publicize his life and "noble spirit," Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a press release. (Yonhap)
