The Ministry of National Defense Hid Past Footage Claiming "Communist Hong Beom-do Misunderstood"

Defense TV, 5-Year-Old Video Made Private
Criticism Within the Ruling Party... "No Party Stance, Will Observe"

The Ministry of National Defense decided to relocate the bust of General Hong Beom-do, which was installed on the grounds of the Korea Military Academy, citing his prior membership in the Soviet Communist Party as an issue. Meanwhile, a video from five years ago titled "Some people misunderstood General Hong Beom-do as a communist" was made private on the Ministry of National Defense’s official YouTube channel, 'Defense TV.'

The video titled "The Full Story of General Hong Beom-do Returning to His Homeland After 100 Years," which was posted on the 'Defense TV' channel operated by the Defense Media Agency under the Ministry of National Defense on the 1st, is currently set to private.

Uploaded on August 29, 2018, during the Moon Jae-in administration, the video emphasized General Hong’s independence movement activities. It described General Hong as "a fearful figure to the Japanese army, so much so that he was called the general who flies in the sky."

Regarding the Communist Party membership, which the Ministry of National Defense cited as grounds for relocating the bust, the video clarified that "he joined the Soviet Communist Party to protect the Koryo-saram (ethnic Koreans in the former Soviet Union), but it was ineffective," pointing out that the idea of Hong Beom-do as a communist is a misunderstanding. It added, "(General Hong) was a steadfast grandfather respected by his compatriots in the Soviet Union until his death, fighting for their rights," and "He was a true commoner who took up arms and became a righteous militia after the queen mother was assassinated, leading anti-Japanese movements on the Manchurian plains."

Video posted on August 29, 2018, on the YouTube channel 'Gukbang TV'. [Image source=YouTube capture]

This explanation contradicts the Ministry of National Defense’s position that "installing a bust of General Hong, who has a communist background, at the Korea Military Academy is inappropriate considering the academy’s identity."

In a statement released on the 28th of last month, the Ministry of National Defense said, "There is no denying General Hong Beom-do’s achievements in the independence movement through armed anti-Japanese struggle. The Ministry has no intention to belittle or deny this," but also pointed out, "It is a clear fact that there are different evaluations regarding his actions after moving to Svobodny, Soviet Union, in 1921, which differ from his independence movement achievements."

However, the connection between General Hong and the Svobodny Incident remains a subject of debate in academia. The prevailing view is that the Svobodny Incident stemmed from factional power struggles, and that General Hong, who came from Manchuria, was not involved. The Svobodny Incident was an event in June 1921 when the Far Eastern Republic’s army of the Russian Communist Party violently suppressed the Korean Independence Army’s Daehan Volunteer Army stationed in Svobodny, Amur Province.

Currently, the Korea Military Academy has stated its intention to relocate General Hong’s bust outside the campus, while moving other busts to different locations within the campus.

The ruling party has not taken an official stance and is distancing itself from the issue. Even within the party, criticism has been raised, such as "Excess is as bad as deficiency" (Kim Byung-min, Supreme Council member) and "Denying President Park Chung-hee" (former leader Lee Jun-seok).

On the morning of the 1st, Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, told reporters after a floor meeting at the National Assembly, "(The issue of relocating General Hong’s bust) is not a matter to be decided as a party consensus," adding, "The Korea Military Academy has announced its position regarding the relocation. Since the institution where the statue is located has announced its position and plans to proceed through various processes, our party will observe the situation."

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