General Hong Beom-do's Birth Information Standardized as "August 27, 1868, Pyongyang"

Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Engages in Expert Consultations and Coordination with Relevant Organizations

The birth information of General Hong Beom-do, which has been inconsistently recorded in Korea until now, will be standardized.

A bust of General Hong Beomdo installed at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

On April 28, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced that, after expert consultation and discussions with relevant organizations, it has decided to standardize General Hong Beom-do's date and place of birth as "August 27, 1868, Pyongyang, South Pyongan Province."

Due to the lack of clear official records such as family register extracts or court verdicts, General Hong Beom-do's birth information has been marked differently by each institution since 1990, when historical materials from the Soviet Union and its former member states began to enter Korea following the establishment of diplomatic relations. For instance, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (Electronic Archive of Meritorious Persons) listed the birthplace as "unknown, North Pyongan Province," the Independence Hall of Korea wrote "Yangdeok, South Pyongan Province," and the Hong Beom-do General Memorial Project Association stated "Pyongyang." The year of birth also varied, with both 1868 and 1869 being cited.

To unify this information, the ministry conducted expert consultations and held discussions with related organizations such as the Hong Beom-do General Memorial Project Association and the War Memorial of Korea. As a result, they concluded that "Pyongyang, South Pyongan Province" as the place of birth and "August 27, 1868" as the date of birth are the most reliable and reasonable. The main sources for this decision included the "Hong Beom-do Diary," in which General Hong Beom-do recorded his activities and career from birth to his participation in the Righteous Army and collective migration to Central Asia, as well as his obituary published in "Leninkichi," a newspaper of the time in Kazakhstan.

The ministry plans to share these findings with relevant organizations, including the Ministry of National Defense (Korea Military Academy), the War Memorial of Korea, and the Independence Hall of Korea, and will guide them to update the information accordingly.

Minister Kwon Oeul stated, "Correcting records related to General Hong Beom-do clarifies historical facts and establishes a proper foundation for national respect toward an independence hero," adding, "The government will continue to thoroughly verify the records of independence patriots to ensure that the lives and achievements of our forebears are fully remembered."

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