Published : Feb. 26, 2019 - 10:39
President Moon Jae-in sought to honor the country's independence fighters on Tuesday with a rare visit to a cemetery housing the remains of several founding members of the provisional government established under Japan's colonial rule of Korea.
Moon's first trip as president to Hyochang Park in Seoul came as the nation is gearing up to mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the provisional government in exile on April 11, along with the 100th anniversary of the March 1st Independence Movement.
(Yonhap)
The president paid his respects to Kim Koo, the first head of the provisional government, and other key members.
He also visited the empty burial site reserved for Ahn Jung-geun, who in 1909 assassinated Ito Hirobumi, a four-time prime minister of Japan and the first resident-general of Korea, at China's Harbin train station.
Ahn was executed by colonial Japan in China, but his remains have yet to be discovered despite years of search by the South Korean government.
Moon's trip to the cemetery also highlights his recognition of the provisional government as the legitimate predecessor of the current government, unlike former conservative administrations that had often promoted the government established after the country's liberation in 1945 as the start of the current democratic government. (Yonhap)