President of Gwangbok Association: "The government awarded General Hong Beom-do a medal in 1962"

Grandson of Lee Hoe-yeong, Lee Jong-chan, KBS Radio Interview
"History of the Republic of Korea Army Connected to Independence War History"

"When President Yoon Suk-yeol started his political career, where was the first place he went? It was the Udang Memorial Hall. And then, where did he make his declaration to start his political journey? It was at the Maehun Yun Bong-gil Memorial Hall. So, his foundation is that the independence movement is the base of everything."

Lee Jong-chan, chairman of the Liberation Association and grandson of independence activist Udang Lee Hoe-young, said this in an interview with KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strongest Current Affairs' on the 29th. Chairman Lee expressed concerns regarding the Ministry of National Defense's plan to relocate the bust of General Hong Beom-do, which is currently at the Korea Military Academy (KMA).

He raised doubts, saying, "I cannot see the actions taken by the (Ministry of National Defense) minister this time as something ordered by President Yoon Suk-yeol; this has unexpectedly come out of nowhere," implying that he cannot understand the Ministry of National Defense's attitude in trying to move the bust of General Hong Beom-do, who devoted himself to the independence movement against Japanese colonial rule, despite President Yoon emphasizing the importance of the independence movement since the start of his political career.

Lee Jong-chan, the newly appointed president of the Liberation Association, is delivering his inaugural speech at the 23rd Liberation Association President Inauguration Ceremony held on the 22nd at the Baekbeom Memorial Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Chairman Lee Jong-chan, a graduate of the Korea Military Academy, is a former politician who served as a member of the National Assembly for conservative parties such as the Democratic Liberal Party and the Democratic Justice Party, and is also a descendant of independence activists. His grandfather, Lee Hoe-young, was an independence activist who founded the Shinheung Military Academy and trained independence fighters.

Chairman Lee explained, "(The five individuals whose busts are at the KMA) are practically heroes of the independence war," adding, "Since the history of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces is connected to the history of the independence war, erecting the busts of these five figures is not simply about displaying artifacts; this is a piece of history."

Chairman Lee also said, "(During the Park Chung-hee administration) in 1962, General Hong Beom-do was awarded the Republic of Korea's second-class medal. The judges at that time must have considered all aspects of his background when awarding the medal," and questioned, "If we keep focusing only on his communist background, what does that make the Republic of Korea government that awarded him the medal?"

Regarding the Ministry of National Defense's attempt to relocate General Hong Beom-do's bust, Chairman Lee said, "I also find this mysterious. I was not given any prior notice, nor was I consulted for my opinion."

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