Endless search for graves of forgotten independence fighters

The article follows Ahn Jun-beom, a Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs specialist who has spent years searching overseas for the graves of independence fighters and arranging repatriations to Korea. He describes the work as painstaking but meaningful, with the return of Lee Han-ho’s remains from Switzerland as one example. Ahn says the state has a duty to bring home those who sacrificed for independence, and he still hopes to find fighters buried in China or Russia.

Ahn Jun-beom said he has located 161 graves of independence fighters overseas over the past 14 years.

He said the remains of eight of those fighters have been repatriated to Korea.

He said three more independence fighters buried in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the United States were scheduled for repatriation in November.

The article says the first repatriation of independence fighters’ remains took place in 1946, and government-led repatriations began in 1975.

Published Oct 5, 2026 12:00 am KST

Through an official's dedication, some overseas-based independence activists find final resting place in Korea

Ahn Jun-beom, a specialist at the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs who has been in charge of repatriating the remains of independence fighters buried overseas and surveying the condition of their graves for 15 years, poses during a business trip to Moscow in 2021. Courtesy of Ahn Jun-beom

At a ceremony held at Incheon International Airport's Terminal 1 on Nov. 15, 2022, to repatriate the remains of independence fighters buried overseas, the voice of Hwang So-young, the great-great-granddaughter of independence fighter Lee Han-ho (1895-1960), trembled slightly as she reached the final lines of a letter she had written to him. Until then, she had read it in a calm, steady voice.

Moments later, Lee's remains were carried into the ceremony hall by an honor guard from the Ministry of National Defense's ceremonial unit. It was his return home, 107 years after leaving his homeland. Lee moved to China's Jiandao region in 1915 and joined Maenghodan, an anti-Japanese independence group. After participating in a March 1 Independence Movement demonstration in 1919, he fled to Russia and then Shanghai, China, to escape Japanese police. He later moved to Switzerland, where he continued his independence movement activities. He died there in September 1960.

On that day, 62 years after Lee's death, as he was finally laid to rest in his homeland, one person watched the scene with more anxiety than anyone else — Ahn Jun-beom, 50, a specialist at the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. He handled the arrangements to bring Lee's remains from Switzerland to a national cemetery in Korea in consultation with his family.

Ahn makes an average of five or six overseas business trips a year, sometimes spending more than 10 days on each trip. He spends three to five months preparing for each trip. His work includes everything from arranging flights and accommodation to meticulously reviewing newspaper archives, academic papers and memoirs, as well as scheduling meetings with family members and representatives of relevant organizations at his destination.

"The most rewarding moment is when the remains of an independence fighter arrive safely in Korea and enter the arrivals hall. If the soul exists, I think he might have felt that all the blood, sweat and tears he shed for the independence movement in a foreign land had been worthwhile," Ahn told Hankook Ilbo in an interview.

Over the past 14 years, Ahn has located a total of 161 graves of independence fighters overseas. The remains of eight of them have been repatriated to Korea.

In November, the remains of three more independence fighters buried in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the United States, respectively, are scheduled to be repatriated to Korea. On Feb. 4, independence fighter Lee Ha-jeon (1921-2026), the last surviving independence fighter living overseas, died at his home in the United States at the age of 105. Only four surviving independence fighters remain in Korea.

The first repatriation of independence fighters' remains took place in 1946, after Korea's liberation, when Kim Koo, a prominent independence leader, brought the remains of Yun Bong-gil, Lee Bong-chang and Baek Jeong-gi, who had been secretly buried in Japan, to Hyochang Park in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Government-led repatriations began in 1975.

Hankook Ilbo spoke with Ahn by phone. The following is an edited transcript of the interview.

Q. You have been in charge of repatriating the remains of independence fighters buried overseas and surveying the condition of their graves since 2012. What exactly does your work involve?

A. I oversee the maintenance of graves of independence fighters buried overseas, provide support for repairing damaged graves and, in consultation with their families, arrange for their remains to be brought to national cemeteries in Korea. I also search for the graves of independence fighters whose burial locations have not yet been identified.

The remains of independence fighters Gye Bong-u and Hwang Un-jeong, repatriated from Kazakhstan to Korea in 2019, are placed in the seats reserved for senior government officials aboard Air Force Unit 2. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

Q. What led you to take on this work?

A. I majored in modern Korean history in university, and my first job was at the Presidential Committee for the Inspection of Collaborations for Japanese Imperialism. I worked there as an investigator from 2006 to 2009 before joining the veterans ministry.

More than 18,000 people have received government honors for their contributions to the independence movement. Apart from a few figures everyone knows well, such as Kim Gu, Ahn Jung-geun and Yun Bong-gil, the lives of most other independence fighters were recorded in just a line or two. I was very curious about what their final days had been like.

Q. Finding graves overseas must be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

A. Something happened once while I was examining letters written by Lee In-seop (1888-1982), an independence fighter who was active in Russia's Far East. At the top of one letter, I found the sender's name, Yu Hak-gwan, and an address in Uzbekistan. That was unusual.

I first looked into who Yu was and found that he was an independence fighter who received the Order of Merit for National Foundation in 2012, but the exact location of his grave had not been identified. Yu was born in 1892, and the letter was exchanged in 1958. I paused to think about the clues. He would have been in his mid-60s when he sent the letter. Given that Uzbekistan was then part of the Soviet Union, a socialist state where freedom of movement was restricted, it seemed likely that he had lived somewhere in that region until his death.

A view of Staraya Cemetery in the Syrdarya region of Uzbekistan, where independence fighter Yu Hak-gwan (1892-1986) is buried. Ahn Jun-beom, a specialist at the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, said he headed to the cemetery with only one clue — that many ethnic Koreans were buried there — and searched the vast grounds, checking tombstones one by one despite the July heat, when temperatures approached 40 degrees Celsius. Courtesy of Ahn Jun-beom

Q. Did you travel to Uzbekistan to find Yu's grave with nothing more than an address from his lifetime?

A. I visited a Korean community organization in the Syrdarya region, where Yu had spent his later years. No one remembered him. They only told me that there was a cemetery on the outskirts of the area where many Koreans who had died in the 1960s and 1970s were buried.

I had no choice but to go there and see what I could find. The Staraya Cemetery, where I arrived, was so vast that I couldn't see where it ended. It seemed impossible to search it alone. But I couldn't just give up. I had come all this way using taxpayers' money, so I had to do everything I could. I thought that way, at least, I would have something to say about my efforts later.

The grave of independence fighter Yu Hak-gwan (1892-1986), which Ahn Jun-beom, a specialist at the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, discovered almost miraculously at Staraya Cemetery in the Syrdarya region of Uzbekistan. Courtesy of Ahn Jun-beom

Just as I was about to wrap up the search, I happened to turn my head, and there it was — the tombstone of the very person I had been searching for. It was almost as if God had led me to that spot.

Q. Even when you find a grave after all that effort, not all remains can be brought back to Korea, can they?

A. The wishes of the families and local communities are important, too. Whenever possible, we wait patiently until everyone is happy to say, "Let's bring them home to Korea."

Q. How are the graves of independence fighters whose remains have not been repatriated maintained overseas?

A. We coordinate with local Korean diplomatic missions to hold memorial visits from time to time, and the veterans ministry also conducts annual surveys of the graves' conditions. Whenever I visit, I make sure to meet with the families and maintain our relationships with them. Think about it from the other side. If a Chinese official suddenly came to us and said, "Your grandfather was an anti-Japanese martyr in China, so we're going to take his remains back," wouldn't we be taken aback, too?

In the left photo, the grave of independence fighter Kim Nam-geuk (1868-1920), buried in Hunchun, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, China. In the right photo, the grave, located in a remote mountain area was restored with support from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Kim served as the inaugural principal of Dongchang School in Daehwanggu Village, Hunchun, and took part in the anti-Japanese independence movement. He was killed by Japanese troops seeking revenge after their defeat in the Battle of Bongodong. Courtesy of Ahn Jun-beom

Q. Is the idea that the state must take responsibility for those who sacrificed their lives for the country until the very end?

A. That is something the state is naturally obligated to do. Bringing independence fighters who suffered in unfamiliar lands to regain their homeland back to a free and dignified Korea is the last opportunity we have to show them the country they dreamed of.

They would not have wanted to end their lives buried in a remote mountain valley in a foreign country, where no one would come looking for them. This is a small token of gratitude for their sacrifices.

Lee Jae Myung, then leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and now president, touches the tombstone of Gen. Hong Beom-do at the Daejeon National Cemetery in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Aug. 29, 2023. Joint Press Corps

Q. The 2021 repatriation of Gen. Hong Beom-do's (1868-1943) remains was deeply moving.

A. That was the most moving case for me personally, too. It was a special operation in which all of the country's resources and capabilities were mobilized. After many twists and turns, the leaders of Korea and Kazakhstan reached an unexpected agreement to bring his remains home, but the operation was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the person handling the practical arrangements, my biggest concern was what would happen if we excavated the grave and found no remains. I kept thinking, "Please let him be here."

Q. You must have felt a great deal when Gen. Hong's remains were recovered.

A. I was calmer than I expected. I thought I would burst into tears, but I didn't. I had no time to dwell on my emotions. All I could think was, "Now I have to move on to the next task." But the moment I saw the Air Force's special transport plane parked on the runway to bring Gen. Hong's remains home, I suddenly felt tears welling up. I couldn't believe how glad I was to see the four Korean characters spelling the Republic of Korea on the fuselage.

The cover of "A Man Who Searches for Graves" by Ahn Jun-beom / Courtesy of Teumsae Books

Q. Is there an independence fighter's grave you particularly want to find and bring home?

A. I want to find the graves of those who took up arms and fought directly in places such as Bongodong, Cheongsanri and the Maritime Province.

They may have no names, and we don't even know whether they have proper burial mounds somewhere in the mountains or fields of China or Russia. But I truly want to find those who are buried somewhere out there, no matter what it takes.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

这篇文章讲述了韩国爱国者和退伍军人事务部专家安俊范的故事。多年来，他一直在海外寻找独立战争战士的墓地，并安排遗骸遣返韩国。他形容这项工作艰辛而意义非凡，例如将李汉浩的遗骸从瑞士运回韩国。安俊范表示，国家有责任将为独立而牺牲的人带回家，他仍然希望找到葬在中国或俄罗斯的战士。

安俊范表示，在过去的14年里，他已经在海外找到了161座独立战士的坟墓。

他说，其中八名战士的遗骸已被运回韩国。

他说，另有三名分别埋葬在哈萨克斯坦、乌兹别克斯坦和美国的独立战士的遗骸计划于 11 月运回国。

文章称，独立战士遗骸的首次遣返发生在 1946 年，政府主导的遣返工作始于 1975 年。

发布于2026年10月5日凌晨12:00（韩国标准时间）

一位官员的安排下，一些旅居海外的独立运动人士得以在韩国长眠。

安俊范是韩国爱国者和退伍军人事务部的一名专家，他负责将埋葬在海外的独立战士遗骸遣返回国，并调查其墓地状况长达15年。照片拍摄于2021年，当时他正在莫斯科出差。（照片由安俊范提供）

2022年11月15日，在仁川国际机场1号航站楼举行的海外独立战士遗骸遣返仪式上，独立战士李汉浩（1895-1960）的曾曾孙女黄素英在朗读她写给父亲的信的最后几行时，声音微微颤抖。此前，她一直用平静而沉稳的声音朗读着这封信。

片刻之后，李小龙的遗体由国防部仪仗队的仪仗队抬入仪式大厅。这是他离开故土107年后，终于回到故土。1915年，李小龙移居中国建岛地区，加入抗日独立组织孟和团。1919年参加三一独立运动后，他先逃往俄国，后又逃往中国上海，以躲避日本警察的追捕。之后，他移居瑞士，继续从事独立运动。1960年9月，他在瑞士逝世。

在李承晚逝62年后的这一天，当他的遗体终于安葬于故土时，有一个人比任何人都更加焦急地注视着这一幕——他就是50岁的安俊范，韩国爱国者和退伍军人事务部的专家。他与李承晚的家人协商，负责安排将李承晚的遗体从瑞士运送至韩国国家公墓。

安先生平均每年出国五六次，每次出差有时超过十天。每次出差前，他都要花三到五个月的时间做准备。他的工作包罗万象，从安排机票和住宿，到仔细查阅报纸档案、学术论文和回忆录，再到安排与家人和目的地相关机构代表的会面，无所不包。

“最令人欣慰的时刻莫过于独立战士的遗骸安全抵达韩国，进入入境大厅的那一刻。如果亡灵存在，我想他或许会觉得，在异国他乡为独立运动流下的所有鲜血、汗水和泪水都是值得的。”安在接受《韩国日报》采访时说道。

过去14年间，安先生在海外共发现了161座独立战士的坟墓。其中8座坟墓的遗骸已被运回韩国。

11月，分别葬于哈萨克斯坦、乌兹别克斯坦和美国的3位独立战争战士的遗骸将运回韩国。2月4日，最后一位居住在海外的独立战争战士李夏传（1921-2026）在美国家中逝世，享年105岁。目前，韩国仅存4位独立战争战士。

1946年韩国解放后，独立战争战士遗骸首次被遣返。当时，著名独立运动领袖金九将秘密埋葬在日本的尹奉吉、李奉昌和白正基的遗骸带到了首尔龙山区孝昌公园。政府主导的遗骸遣返工作始于1975年。

《韩国日报》通过电话采访了安先生。以下是经过编辑的采访实录。

问：自 2012 年以来，您一直负责将埋葬在海外的独立战士遗骸遣返回国并调查其墓地状况。您的具体工作内容是什么？

A. 我负责维护葬于海外的独立战士墓地，协助修缮受损墓地，并与家属协商，安排将遗骸迁葬至韩国国立公墓。我还负责寻找尚未确定墓地的独立战士墓地。

2019年从哈萨克斯坦遣返回韩国的独立运动领袖桂奉宇和黄云贞的遗骸，安放在空军第二部队机上为高级政府官员预留的座位上。图片由青瓦台提供。

问：是什么促使你从事这项工作？

A. 我大学主修韩国现代史，第一份工作是在总统日本帝国主义合作调查委员会担任调查员。2006年至2009年，我在那里工作，之后加入退伍军人事务部。

超过18000人因对独立运动的贡献而获得政府表彰。除了金九、安重根和尹奉吉等少数几位家喻户晓的人物外，其他大多数独立战士的生平事迹都只被寥寥数语带过。我很好奇他们生命的最后时光究竟如何。

问：在海外寻找墓地一定像大海捞针一样难。

A. 我在查阅李仁燮（1888-1982）的信件时，发生了一件不同寻常的事。李仁燮是一位活跃于俄罗斯远东地区的独立运动人士。在一封信的开头，我发现了寄信人的名字“俞学冠”和一个乌兹别克斯坦的地址。这很不寻常。

我首先调查了余先生的生平，发现他是一位独立运动人士，于2012年荣获国家建设功勋勋章，但他的墓地具体位置尚未确定。余先生生于1892年，这封信是在1958年互寄的。我停下来仔细思考这些线索。他寄信时应该六十多岁。考虑到当时的乌兹别克斯坦是苏联的一部分，一个限制人员流动的社会主义国家，他很可能在苏联境内生活直至去世。

这是乌兹别克斯坦锡尔河州斯塔拉亚公墓的一景，独立战士柳学冠（1892-1986）就安葬于此。爱国者和退伍军人事务部专家安俊范表示，他前往公墓的唯一线索是这里埋葬着许多朝鲜族人，尽管七月酷暑难耐，气温接近40摄氏度，他仍然在广阔的墓园中逐一搜寻墓碑。照片由安俊范提供。

问：你只凭于大生前的一个地址就前往乌兹别克斯坦寻找他的墓地吗？

A. 我走访了锡尔河地区的一个韩国社区组织，余先生晚年就在那里度过。没有人记得他。他们只告诉我，在该地区郊外有一个公墓，埋葬着许多在20世纪60年代和70年代去世的韩国人。

我别无选择，只能前往那里看看能找到什么。我到达的斯塔拉亚公墓面积辽阔，一眼望不到尽头。独自一人搜寻似乎是不可能的。但我不能就此放弃。我千里迢迢来到这里，用的都是纳税人的钱，所以我必须尽我所能。我想，至少这样以后我还能对自己的努力有所交代。

乌兹别克斯坦爱国者和退伍军人事务部专家安俊范在乌兹别克斯坦锡尔河州斯塔拉亚公墓几乎奇迹般地发现了独立战士俞学冠（1892-1986）的墓地。图片由安俊范提供。

正当我准备结束寻找的时候，我无意间转过头，就看到了——我一直在寻找的那个人的墓碑。仿佛是上帝指引我来到这里。

问：即使费尽周折找到了坟墓，也不可能将所有遗骸都带回韩国，对吗？

A. 家属和当地社区的意愿也很重要。只要有可能，我们都会耐心等待，直到大家都乐意说“让我们把他们带回韩国吧”。

问：那些遗骸尚未被运回国的独立战士的坟墓在海外是如何维护的？

A. 我们会与韩国驻当地外交机构协调，不定期组织祭扫活动，退伍军人事务部也会每年对墓地状况进行调查。每次我去祭扫，都会确保与家属见面，并与他们保持联系。换位思考一下，如果一位中国官员突然对我们说：“你们的祖父是中国的抗日烈士，所以我们要把他的遗骸带回去”，我们难道不会感到震惊吗？

左图为独立斗士金南格（1868-1920）的墓地，位于中国吉林省延边朝鲜族自治州珲春市。右图为墓地修复后的景象，该墓地位于偏远山区，由国家爱国者及退伍军人事务部提供支持。金南格曾任珲春市大皇谷村东昌学校首任校长，积极参与抗日独立运动。在奉吾洞之战战败后，他被日军为报复而杀害。图片由安俊范提供。

问：国家是否应该对那些为国捐躯的人承担责任，直到生命的最后一刻？

A. 这是国家理所应当的义务。将那些在异国他乡饱受苦难、为夺回家园而奋斗的独立战士们带回自由而有尊严的朝鲜，是我们向他们展示他们梦想中的国家的最后机会。

他们绝不愿就此长眠于异国他乡的偏僻山谷，无人问津。这只是我们对他们牺牲的一点心意，以表达我们的感激之情。

2023年8月29日，时任韩国民主党党首、现任总统李在明在韩国大田市儒城区的大田国立公墓，触摸洪范道将军的墓碑。（联合记者团摄）

问：2021年洪范道将军（1868-1943）遗骸的遣返令人深感感动。

A：对我个人而言，那也是最令人动容的案例。这是一次特殊的行动，动用了全国所有的资源和能力。历经种种波折，韩国和哈萨克斯坦领导人达成了一项出人意料的协议，将他的遗体运回国，但由于新冠疫情，行动被无限期推迟。

作为负责实际安排的人，我最担心的是，如果我们挖开坟墓却发现没有遗骸该怎么办。我一直在想，“但愿他能留在这里。”

问：洪将军遗体被找到时，您一定感慨万千。

A. 我比预想中要冷静得多。我以为自己会泪流满面，但却没有。我根本没时间沉浸在自己的情绪中。我脑子里只有一个念头：“现在我必须继续下一个任务。” 但当我看到空军的专机停在跑道上，准备将洪将军的遗体运回国时，我突然感到泪水涌上眼眶。看到机身上那四个韩文“大韩民国”的字样，我简直不敢相信自己竟然如此欣喜。

安俊范所著《寻墓人》封面 / 图片由Teumsae Books提供

问：有没有哪位独立战士的坟墓是你特别想找到并带回家的？

A. 我想找到那些在奉古洞、清山里和海上省等地拿起武器直接战斗的人的坟墓。

他们或许没有名字，我们甚至不知道他们是否在中国或俄罗斯的山川田野中拥有合适的墓葬。但我真心想要找到那些埋葬在某处的人，无论付出什么代价。

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。