The position of the Ministry of National Defense regarding the bust of General Hong Beom-do of the Military Command is regrettable for the controversy surrounding the relocation of the bust of an independence activist. The Korea Military Academy is an institution that trains national patriots to protect the liberal democratic Republic of Korea in preparation for aggression by communist North Korea. At the outbreak of the 6.25 War, senior military officers were put into the front line to fight against the North Korean communist army, and since the school was reopened during the 6.25 War, it has been facing the threat of North Korea and communism. Considering the tradition and identity of the cadets and the education of cadets, there is a controversy that it is not appropriate for the bust of General Hong Beom-do, who is controversial about his membership in the Soviet Communist Party and his activity history, to be in the cadets, and moreover, in the central entrance of Chungmugwan, a symbolic building for cadet education. have been There was a problem raised that this issue was not appropriate even at the time of installation in the military headquarters, but nevertheless, the installation of the bust of General Hong Beom-do was enforced without forming a sufficient consensus, and even after that, controversy about this has continued until now. While preparing a comprehensive school development plan from 2022, the military is reviewing plans to reorganize campus monuments in a way that honors Korea’s history of overcoming national disasters, heroes of the Korean War, the symbol of military service, and the value and significance of the ROK-US alliance. During this review process, it was judged that it would be appropriate to enshrine the bust of General Hong Beom-do, which has been controversial, at the Independence Hall, the sacred ground of the independence movement where the achievements of the independence movement can be best promoted rather than in the military school, and requested cooperation from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the Independence Hall did General Hong Beom-do’s achievements in the independence movement through the anti-Japanese armed struggle cannot be denied, and the government recognized this and awarded him the Order of National Merit in 1962. The Department of Defense has no intention of disparaging or denying this. However, it is also clear that there is a different evaluation of the general’s achievements in the independence movement in relation to his actions after moving to the Free City of the Soviet Union in 1921. The fact that General Hong Beom-do supported the integration of the independent forces centered on the Soviet Communist Party Military Government Council, and served as a judge in the Soviet Communist Party’s Free City Disaster Trial. ‘ There are historical facts such as appointment as the 1st battalion commander. Because of this, there is a suspicion that it is related to the Free City Disaster in June 1921, when the Russian Communist Party’s Far Eastern Republic army massacred the independence army in the Free City. Specifically, according to Soviet government documents excavated right after the establishment of diplomatic ties between Korea and the Soviet Union in 1991, General Hong Beom-do’s resume written in order to receive a pension from the Soviet government in the 1930s said, “A Korean partisan delegation to report on the bloodshed in Freedom City. I went to Moscow to meet Comrade Lenin with qualifications”. The disaster in Free City refers to an incident in June 1921 when an independence army that refused to disarm was attacked in Free City, and it is evaluated that General Hong Beom-do was on the side of disarming. At this time, between 400 and 600 people died on the independence army side, and about 500 people were referred to trial. At that time, General Hong Beom-do participated as a member of the trial committee. Therefore, General Hong Beom-do took a different path from General Kim Jwa-jin and Lee Beom-seok, who fought together in the Battle of Cheongsan-ri but refused to disarm and returned to Manchuria. In particular, General Hong Beom-do’s partisan certificate records his period of activity as 1919-1922, so there is a suspicion that he participated in the battles of Bongo-dong and Cheongsan-ri as a partisan. And, in 1922, he participated as a member of 52 Korean representatives at the ‘Far East National Revolutionary Organization Representative Conference’ held by the Comintern (International Communist Party). It is a clear historical fact that he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1942. Therefore, it is appropriate to evaluate the achievements of General Hong Beom-do’s independence movement according to his achievements, but evaluate the fact that he later sympathized with the Soviet Communist Party’s activities differently. Moreover, considering the stark fact that Kim Il-sung of North Korea illegally invaded the South at the instigation of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and waged the Korean War, it is not appropriate to install a bust of General Hong Beom-do, who has a history of communism, in the military building to commemorate it, given the identity of the military police. . In the future, the school will create an educational environment optimized for the school’s identity of nurturing officers for the protection of liberal democracy and the Republic of Korea according to the ongoing reorganization plan for on-campus monuments. In particular, we will create a space where cadets can learn the entire history of overcoming the national crisis, including the history of the independence movement. Unfortunately, however, I feel sorry for the current situation in which some are making the issue of relocating the bust of General Hong Beom-do into a political issue by instigating an ideological war and pro-Japanese acts. Irrespective of these political issues, the corps in charge of cadet education will establish and promote the best plan for cadet education to match the identity of the cadets. The Ministry of National Defense will do its best to support military academies, including military academies, to commemorate the martyrs and national heroes who fought for the country, including the independence movement and the Korean War, inherit their noble spirit of sacrifice, and nurture them into elite military forces that defend liberal democracy.
2023-08-28 10:20:11
#Ministry #National #Defense #Bust #Hong #Beomdo #history #communism #inappropriate #military #affairs
