Kyzylorda: The Veterans ministry stated on Friday that it engaged in discussions with a municipality in Kazakhstan to collaborate on the management of a memorial park dedicated to Hong Beom-do, a renowned Korean independence fighter who opposed Japan's colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Veterans ministry officials visited Kazakhstan from April 23 to 26, where they met with municipal officials of Kyzylorda in southern Kazakhstan. The discussions centered on efforts to manage the park, which honors Hong Beom-do. The ministry sought the city's support in maintaining the park, while municipal officials committed to enhancing its use as a communal space for city residents, including ethnic Koreans.
The memorial park, inaugurated in November 2023 with support from the South Korean government, is situated at Hong's former burial site. Hong Beom-do's remains were repatriated to Korea in August 2021 for reburial at the Daejeon National Cemetery.
Hong is celebrated for leading Korean independence forces in significant battles in Manchuria in 1920, notably securing a victory at the Battle of Fengwudong. In 1921, he sought refuge in the Soviet Union to escape Japanese forces. In 1937, under the directive of then Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, he was compelled to relocate to present-day Kazakhstan along with numerous other ethnic Koreans. Hong passed away in 1943 at the age of 75, two years prior to Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule.