President Moon: "100th Anniversary of the Bongodong Battle Victory... Engraving the 'Great Power of Ordinary People'"

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sunhee] On the 7th, marking the 100th anniversary of the "Victory at the Battle of Bongodong," President Moon Jae-in stated, "We engrave in our hearts the great power of ordinary people who created a history of victory and hope."

On the same day, President Moon wrote on his Facebook and other social network services (SNS), "Today, 100 years later, the driving force behind overcoming the national crisis of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is also our ordinary neighbors," adding, "The people protected the safety of their 'neighbors' for the safety of 'themselves,' and through solidarity and cooperation, created a model for overcoming COVID-19."

The Battle of Bongodong was a battle on June 7, 1920, in Bongodong, Wangqing County, Jilin Province, China, where the Korean independence army coalition led by Generals Hong Beom-do and Choi Jin-dong fought and decisively defeated the Japanese regular army's "Garrison Pursuit Unit."

President Moon said, "It was a victory that was achieved only five months after the Provisional Government declared the 'Year of the Independence War,' and it remains a historic victory in the history of armed independence movements," adding, "With the victory at the Battle of Bongodong, independence activists gained confidence, and our suffering nation gained hope for autonomous independence."

He continued, "Above all, since the victory was achieved by independence fighters composed not only of the righteous armies of the late Joseon period but also of ordinary people such as farmers and laborers, the morale of the nation was further elevated," and added, "Everyone contributed donations despite their poor households to help purchase weapons for the independence army and took the initiative in preparing supplies including food and clothing."

He then said, "Remembering and honoring each independence fighter is not only the duty of the state but also gives future generations the strength to open the future," and pledged, "Although delayed due to COVID-19, the government will bring the remains of General Hong Beom-do, who rests in distant Kazakhstan, back to the homeland. We will honor the spirit of the independence movement and repay it with the highest respect."

General Hong Beom-do was forcibly relocated to Kazakhstan, where he worked as a guard at the Almaty Korean Theater and lived a difficult life until he passed away at the age of 75. His remains were buried in the Central Cemetery of Kyzylorda.

During his visit to Kazakhstan in April last year, President Moon, in a summit meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said, "General Hong Beom-do, who passed away in Kyzylorda, is the most revered figure in our independence movement history," and added, "The Korean people have a strong desire to repatriate General Hong Beom-do's remains this year (2019) or at the latest next year (2020) for the 100th anniversary."

Since then, our government has promoted the repatriation of General Hong Beom-do's remains along with President Tokayev's visit to Korea, but the process has been delayed due to the COVID-19 situation. The plan is to reinitiate the repatriation upon President Tokayev's future visit to Korea.

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