Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Five independence activists who dedicated their lives to taking the homeland back, including Hong Beom-do, Kim Chwa-jin, Ji Jeong-cheon, General Lee Beom-seok, and Lee Hoe-yeong, one of the founders of the Shinheung Military Academy, a military school for training the Korean independence army, have been commemorated with busts by the Korea Military Academy.

To celebrate the 99th anniversary of the March 1st Movement and the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, the Military Academy is displaying the busts of five heroes of the independence war in front of Chungmugwan, holding an unveiling ceremony on March 1st.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by about 300 people, including various descendants of independence activists – Lee Jong-chan, the grandson of Woodang Lee Hoe-yeong and a founding chairperson of the National Memorial Hall of the Provisional Government; Lee Jong-geol, a member of the National Assembly; Lee Jun-sik, the grandson of General Ji Cheong-cheon and president of the Independence Hall – Yun Gyeong-no, standing co-CEO of the Shinheung Military Academy Memorial Society, Han Si-jun, a professor of Dankook University, Kim Yong-dal, director of the Korean Independence Movement History Research Center, and numerous executives and cadets of the Korea Military Academy.

The busts were made by melting 300㎏ of empty cartridges (amounting to fifty thousand 5.56㎜ common projectiles) used by soldiers to pay tribute to the noble patriotism of their senior soldiers who sparked the national independence movement after completely defeating Japanese army in Fengwudong and Chingshanli, located in Manchuria, despite poor conditions and an insufficient supply of guns and live ammunition.

According to the Korea Military Academy, the busts were made that way to memorize the senior soldiers' sacrifice, while encouraging junior soldiers to carry out the mission of protecting the homeland using guns and live ammunition supplied through taxes collected from the people of the proud Republic of Korea.

Lyrics of "The Amnok River March," which can be translated as "We are the Korean independence army and are soldiers who will take our homeland back. Go for it! Go for it! Let's climb over the Paektu Mountain crossing the Amnok River," are engraved on the top of stone installed in the center of the busts, while a message that captures the will to carry forward the spirit of independence, which can be translated as "These busts were made from the ammunition used by junior soldiers to celebrate the 99th anniversary of the March 1st Movement and the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea," is engraved at the bottom.

“I am very honored to have the busts of these heroes of the independence war, who gave up their lives for national independence, willing to endure the bitter cold, hunger and raging blizzards in Manchuria. We will continue striving to carry forward and develop the noble spirit and value of the independence (liberation) army,” said Lieutenant General Kim Wan-tae, superintendent of the Korea Military Academy.

On the same day, the Korea Military Academy opened a special exhibition of relics from the independence (liberation) army and General An Jung-geun's works, with the title, "From Independence (Liberation）Army to Army of the Republic of Korea – Honoring the Heroes of the Independence War."  

By Seok-Jong, Lee < seokjong@dema.mil.kr >

<Copyright ⓒ The Korea Defense Daily, All rights reserved>