Overseas compatriots also shout, “Inherit the spirit of General Hong Beom-do!”

- About 350 people from the ‘World Honam Community Association’ visit to the grave of General Hong Beom-do

Today, October 4, at 10 am, nine large buses arrived at the Daejeon National Cemetery, and about 350 worshipers got off the buses and gathered in front of General Hong Beom-do's grave. These people were members of the ‘World Honam Community Association Homeland Visiting Group’ and were Koreans residing overseas in the United States, Canada, China, Australia, Germany, and New Zealand, whose hometown was the Honam region. They visited the Daejeon National Cemetery with awareness of the recent defamation against General Hong Beom-do.

The ‘World Honam Community Association Homeland Visit’ has been held every year in early October. It has been an opportunity for overseas compatriots to relieve their homesickness by visiting their motherland and hometown, and for second-generation compatriots to learn and feel about their homeland.

Until now, they had only visited the National May 18th Democratic Cemetery every year, but due to the recent controversy over the relocation of the bust of General Hong Beom-do at the Military Academy, they added an unscheduled visit to the grave of General Hong Beom-do at the Daejeon Cemetery.

Although it was not enough space for about 350 people to worship, they held a 25-second moment of silence in memory of General Hong Beom-do, took a commemorative photo, and strengthened their resolve to carry on the spirit of General Hong Beom-do.

National Assembly member Lee Jong-geol, the grandson of Shinheung Military Academy founder Lee Hoi-young, who was enshrined along with the bust of General Hong Beom-do at the Military Academy, also welcomed the visiting delegation to his home country and expressed his gratitude for visiting the grave of General Hong Beom-do.

Florian Gauterin (Korean name: Mun-Young, 31), a second generation overseas Korean living in Germany, said, I was able to learn about Korean history and current news through my mother," “I believe that General Hong Beom-do was an outstanding military commander whose dedication and bravery should be respected and honored. Furthermore, the event contributes to preserving Korea's cultural heritage and history,” he said. “General Hong Beom-do is an patriot and a person who fought for all Koreans. “It is unfair to remove the bust of General Hong Beom-do from the Military Academy,” he said.

Lee Gyeong-ro, former president of the New York Korean Association who lives in New York, USA, said, “The spirit of independence specified in the Constitution is the founding ideology of the Republic of Korea. He asked, “Is the Yoon Seok-yeol government, which is removing the bust of General Hong Beom-do, a national hero who led the battles of Cheongsan-ri and Bongo-dong, from the Military Academy really the government of the Republic of Korea?”

Jeong Gwang-il, former director of the Overseas Koreans Foundation, who organized the event, said, “One of the places that compatriots who visit Korea want to visit, paying millions of won for airfare, is the cemetery of General Hong Beom-do. “This is because many of our compatriots were angry,” he said. “Today, our compatriots decided to continue overseas the activities to promote General Hong Beom-do’s spirit of independence and to show the strength of our compatriots through the voting participation movement in the 2024 general election.” “He said.

After visiting General Hong Beom-do's grave, they plan to visit the Saemangeum Reclamation Museum today, and then visit the May 18th National Cemetery, Gwangju, Suncheon, Yeonggwang, and Mokpo for 3 days and 2 nights until the 6th to tour their homeland and hometown.