Did Hong Beom-do Involve in the Free City Incident? ... A Closer Look at the Fact Check

Controversy Over Historical Facts Spreads Before Hong Beom-do Bust Relocation

Among the five busts of independence activists installed inside the Korea Military Academy, the bust of General Hong Beom-do is expected to be moved outside, while the other four busts will be relocated to appropriate places within the campus, sparking growing controversy.

The Ministry of National Defense stated that it is inappropriate to keep General Hong's bust within the academy, citing his membership in the Soviet Communist Party and suspicions of his involvement in the 'Free City Incident,' which led to the massacre of independence fighters. However, researchers specializing in Hong Beom-do have dismissed these allegations.

Earlier, on the afternoon of the 28th, the Ministry of National Defense released a statement titled 'Position on General Hong Beom-do's Bust at the Korea Military Academy,' saying, "It is inappropriate to install and commemorate the bust of General Hong Beom-do, who has a communist background, at the academy considering its identity," and pointed out, "There are suspicions that General Hong was involved in the massacre of independence fighters by the Soviet Communist Party's Far Eastern Republic army in Free City in June 1921."

The Free City Incident refers to the event on June 28, 1921, in Free City, Russia, where the Soviet Communist Party's Far Eastern Republic army attacked the independence army unit (Korean Volunteer Army) that refused to disarm. It is considered the greatest tragedy in Korea's independence movement history. The number of casualties varies by source, but it is estimated that 303 were killed, about 250 went missing, and 917 were captured.

However, researchers on Hong Beom-do maintain that the allegations of his involvement in the Free City Incident and the communist controversy are all unfounded. Kim Sam-woong, former director of the Independence Hall and author of the biography 'Hong Beom-do,' explained on the 30th on YTN Radio's 'News King with Park Ji-hoon' that the Free City Incident occurred due to disagreements within the independence army over the disarmament demanded by the Soviet army at the time.

On the 28th, the Ministry of National Defense announced that it is considering relocating the bust of the late General Hong Beom-do not only within the Korea Military Academy campus but also the one installed in front of the Ministry of National Defense building if necessary. The photo shows the bust of the late General Hong Beom-do installed in front of the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

At that time, the independence army possessed Japanese, Soviet, and Czech weapons, but the Soviet army claimed these were inefficient and demanded their collection to be replaced uniformly with Russian weapons. However, conflicts arose over the return of weapons, and during this process, the Free City Incident occurred when the Soviet Red Army and factions supporting the weapon return attacked the opposing group.

Regarding General Hong's role as a judge in the trial related to the Free City Incident, it was said, "From the time he was a sharpshooter, General Hong shared game such as wild boars equally with his subordinates and was known as a very just and fair general, which is why he was assigned this role." He added, "Despite the tremendous tragedy, only a few people were sentenced guilty."

Poet Lee Dong-soon, who has researched General Hong for 42 years, also claimed on the same day on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that "(General Hong) was not present at the scene at the time."

Lee Dong-soon said, "Upon hearing the news, he hurriedly came and found bodies scattered along the roadside, witnessing a massive fratricidal conflict unfolding in a foreign land. He wept while managing the aftermath, burying the bodies, rushing around to organize the scene, and later became a judge. He devoted himself to efforts to secure the release of those involved."

Regarding the claim that General Hong had a 'membership record in the Soviet Communist Party' and was a communist, Lee stated, "(General Hong) was not a communist," adding, "Submitting a party membership application was a formality to receive a pension and other benefits while living there (in Russia)."

Former Director Kim also said, "General Hong Beom-do was not ideologically obsessed with communism; rather, if you consider his tendencies, he was a nationalist," and added, "While staying in places like Vladivostok, he supported the restoration of Daejonggyo and other national religions and Confucianism with substantial funds, emphasizing Dangun as a unifying figure."

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