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| Kim Alla, granddaughter of the late independence fighter Hong Beom-do, poses with a photograph of her grandfather, who led the Korea Independence Army to oppose Japanese forces, at her house in Spassk-Dalny, Russia, Feb. 28. Korea Times photo by Kwak Yeon-soo |
This is the sixth in a series of articles highlighting overseas independence fighters on the occasion of the centennial of the March 1 Independence Movement ― ED.
By Kwak Yeon-soo
SPASSK-DALNY, Russia ― "All his life, Hong Beom-do wanted nothing but liberation from Japan's colonial rule," Kim Alla, 77, the only surviving granddaughter of the freedom fighter, said during an interview with The Korea Times at her home in a small town in Russia.
Hong, who led resistance fighters against the Japanese army, is one of Korea's most celebrated independence activists who fought for liberation during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation.
He was born in 1868 in Pyongyang, in what is now North Korea, and was a hunter before organizing a resistance force named the Righteous Army.
Hong and his force moved to Gando, also known as Jiandao, China, in 1910 to train anti-Japanese freedom fighters.
He also formed the Korean Independence Army, in which he later served as top commander, to attack the Japanese troops that sought expansion into China.
Returning to Korea in 1920, he was successful at the Bongoh Town Battle and Battle of Qingshanli.
Seeking refuge from the Japanese army, Hong escaped to the Russian Far East. There, he also joined forces with the Russian army, still hoping to oppose Japan's invasion.
As a result, Hong was the first Korean independence activist who was recognized by Lenin, the Russian revolutionary leader from 1917 to 24.
"Although my grandfather was close to Lenin, he wanted nothing ― not even a penny from the government ― for his activism while he was alive," Kim said.
Hong excelled at hit-and-run tactics and earned the nickname "running Hong, flying Hong" after his clever combat strategies, according to Kim.
"I heard from my mother that Hong used sheaves of paddies to make noise to lure the enemy into traps. When the Japanese rushed toward where the sound was coming from, he and his force attacked them."
Hong also had to escape through a soakaway when he was discovered by the Japanese.
"Ever since I was a little child, my mother told me stories of Hong, saying that someday people would come to me asking about my grandfather and I should be ready to tell them all about him," Kim said.
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| Kim Alla, granddaughter of the late independence fighter Hong Beom-do, poses with keepsakes from her grandfather, who led the Korea Independence Army to oppose Japanese forces, at her house in Spassk-Dalny, Russia, Feb. 28. Korea Times photo by Kwak Yeon-soo |
Kim also showed keepsakes from her grandfather that included Hong's photo, gun case and a bag he used to carry all the time.
"The Korean government officials advised me to store them in a museum, but I don't want to give them away. They're so precious," she said.
Inside Hong's faded bag was a design of a map of the Korean Peninsula.
"Hong always carried the map to never forget about his life-long mission ― restoration of independence," Kim said.
Even the heroic man could not escape the fate of relocation to Central Asia in late 1937.
Under Stalin's command, over 170,000 ethnic Koreans in Russia were forced onto cargo trains and relocated to Central Asia. Hong was forced to relocate to Kazakhstan in 1937 and died of illness in Kzyl-Orda in 1943.
"Although Hong couldn't object to the relocation order, he received a special favor from the Russian government. Hong rode on a passenger train instead of a cargo train when he was relocated," Kim said.
"He was an honest and upright man. People treated him with respect, and not a single person betrayed him."
Nearly two decades later, the Korean government finally recognized Hong's effort and posthumously awarded him the Order of Merit in 1962.
When asked whether Hong worked as a janitor in a theater in his final days, Kim said, "That is a rumor. My grandfather worked as a school guard before falling sick."
More than seven decades have passed since Korea declared independence against Japan's colonial rule, but Kim said the wounds of Japanese aggression would not heal up to this day.
"I know that Japanese people are not to be blamed for their ancestors' misdeeds, but I cannot help feeling uncomfortable toward Japan," Kim Alla said, recalling her transit through Japan two years ago.
"I sat at the airport crying because I felt guilty about landing in Japan, the country my grandfather held hatred against," she said.
