Ha Hee-ok, Supporter of Independence Movement Funds in the US, Buried at National Cemetery

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]Ha Hee-ok, recognized for her contributions in supporting independence movement funds in the United States, will rest in peace at the National Cemetery.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced on the 2nd that the remains of independence activist Ha Hee-ok, who worked hard for the liberation of the homeland, will be interred at the National Daejeon Cemetery on the afternoon of the 3rd.

Born in 1890 in Yonggang, South Pyongan Province, Ha Hee-ok supported independence movement funds while active from 1914 to 1945 in the San Francisco, Akron, New York, and Chicago branches of the Korean National Association in the United States. Due to these contributions, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citation in 2015.

Until now, the family had not been identified, so the citation could not be delivered, and the location of her grave was unknown. However, recent media reports confirmed that she was buried in 1978 at a park cemetery in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, together with Representative Yoo Dong-su (Incheon Gyeyang-gu Gap) of the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee, actively worked to find Ha Hee-ok’s descendants. They secured materials and testimonies through organizations related to her achievements, such as Heungsadan and the Chicago Korean Association, and confirmed her descendants through domestic family registry inquiries. Subsequently, at the request of the family representative residing in Korea (Kim Ha-ju, granddaughter), the decision was made to transfer her remains to the National Daejeon Cemetery.

Additionally, the government handed over Ha Hee-ok’s Presidential Citation, which had been kept in custody, to Kim Young-joo (granddaughter, residing in the United States), the eldest among the descendants, at the LA Consulate General on the 23rd of last month.

On the morning of the 3rd, Ha Hee-ok’s remains will be transported from the park cemetery in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, through the reburial process to the 5th Independence Patriots Section of the Daejeon National Cemetery, where a burial ceremony will be held under the supervision of the Daejeon National Cemetery Director with the attendance of family members.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs stated, "We will continue to do our best to provide final honors to those who dedicated themselves to the nation by finding descendants of independence patriots whose graves have not yet been located."