Different government and related institutions have used varying information for Gen. Hong Beom-do’s birthplace and birth date, but those details have now been standardized.
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, led by Minister Kwon O-eul, said on 28 it will unify Hong’s birthplace and birth date based on expert advice and consultations with relevant organizations and will notify related institutions of the updated information.
The ministry said there have been no definitive records such as a family register transcript or court ruling. After South Korea established diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union and its constituent republics in 1990 and new materials such as Hong’s diary and survey forms became known, institutions began using slightly different entries.
After consulting historians, gathering views from the Hong Beom-do Memorial Foundation and the War Memorial of Korea, and coordinating with the Independence Hall of Korea and the National Memorial Museum of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, the ministry concluded it is most reliable and reasonable to list Hong’s birthplace as Pyongyang, South Pyongan Province, and his birth date as Aug. 27, 1868.
The ministry said it will share the findings with related bodies, including the Defense Ministry and the Korea Military Academy, as well as the War Memorial of Korea and the Independence Hall of Korea, and guide them on making corrections.
Kwon said correcting records related to Hong “clarifies historical facts and, at the same time, sets right the basic national respect owed to an independence hero.” He added that the government will continue careful verification of records on independence patriots so the public can fully remember their lives and achievements.
The ministry also operates the “Gonghun Electronic Archives” to provide information on state honors for independence patriots, their merits and the “Independence Activist of the Month,” and it includes details on Hong’s contributions.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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