President Moon directly welcomes General Hong Beom-do's remains... 'Highest honors'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The remains of independence activist General Hong Beom-do were repatriated from Kazakhstan to South Korea on August 15, Liberation Day. President Moon Jae-in personally welcomed General Hong Beom-do's remains at Seoul Airport that afternoon.

The special transport plane, which departed from Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan, that morning, circled the Kazakh airspace three times before heading to South Korea. After entering the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ), it was escorted by six Air Force fighter jets and arrived at Seoul Airport.

This involved deploying all fighter aircraft operated by the Republic of Korea Air Force, honoring General Hong Beom-do, who returned to his homeland after 100 years since migrating to the Maritime Province in 1921, with the highest respect.

The repatriation was actively pursued after President Moon requested cooperation from President Tokayev during the Korea-Kazakhstan summit in April 2019. The repatriation was initially planned to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Bongodong in 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 situation. It was finally realized during the Kazakh president's visit to Korea this time.

At the repatriation ceremony, President Moon and the First Lady, National Security Office Director Suh Hoon, Chief Secretary Yoo Young-min, Minister of National Defense Suh Wook, and patriot Kim Young-gwan attended. Kim Young-gwan participated in the anti-Japanese movement as a member of the Korean Liberation Army and also fought in the Korean War, receiving the Hwarang Military Merit Medal in 1952 and the Order of Merit for National Foundation in 1990.

Also present were Hwang Ki-chul, Director of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, who brought the remains from Kazakhstan, Democratic Party lawmaker Woo Won-shik, and actor Jo Jin-woong.

General Hong’s remains were carried under the escort of an honor guard and accompanied by a solo vocal performance of "Old Lang Syne" by the military band’s vocalist.

"Old Lang Syne" is a song with lyrics of the Korean patriotic anthem of unknown authorship set to the Scottish folk tune "Auld Lang Syne." It was sung by students of Paichai Hakdang at the Independence Gate cornerstone ceremony in November 1896 and was regarded as a national anthem among independence activists.

After the memorial, the remains were transported under police escort to Daejeon National Cemetery. The government will hold an online and offline national memorial service for General Hong Beom-do over two days, August 16 and 17, to honor his spirit.

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