Independence Activists Asleep in Distant Europe Return to Their Homeland

Repatriation of Remains Buried in Switzerland and France
Interred at Daejeon National Cemetery on the 16th

Governor Hanho Lee (left) and Governor Jaehwa Hong [Photo by Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] The remains of independence activists who fought for independence overseas during the Japanese colonial period and rest in European soil are returning to their homeland.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced on the 10th that it will repatriate the remains of activist Lee Han-ho (1895?1960) and activist Hong Jae-ha (1892?1960), who were buried in European countries such as Switzerland and France.

The remains of Lee, who was buried in the Schaffhausen Forest Cemetery in Switzerland, have been exhumed and cremated, and a memorial service will be held on the 12th (local time) with the attendance of local diplomatic missions and Korean residents. A memorial service for Hong’s remains, which were at the Colombes Municipal Cemetery in France, will be held on the 11th, and on the following day, the 12th, a condolence site will be set up at the Korean Embassy in France to allow Korean residents to pay their respects.

The remains of the two activists will be repatriated to Korea on the 15th via Incheon International Airport along with representatives of their bereaved families by the repatriation team dispatched by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to Switzerland and France, and are scheduled to be interred at the National Daejeon Cemetery on the 16th.

Lee was active as a member of the Manghodan, a student-led anti-Japanese movement group in the Jiandao region of China in 1919, and participated as a Manghodan representative in the National Representative Conference, carrying out independence activities. He also served as the head of the Swiss team at the 1948 St. Moritz Winter Olympics and as the first Consul General to West Germany in 1954.

Hong was the second president of the Korean Residents Association in France, the predecessor of the Korean Residents Association in France, and raised funds for independence, which he delivered to the Paris Committee. He was also devoted to promoting the independence movement at the League of Nations. Notably, in 1920, while serving as a diplomatic officer of the Provisional Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stationed in London, UK, he delivered independence movement funds to activist Hwang Gi-hwan, who was the real-life figure behind Eugene Choi, the main character of the popular drama "Mr. Sunshine."

Meanwhile, both activists were posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Patriotic Medal in 2019.

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