Statue of Korean Independence Activist to Be Erected in the UK

Ernest Thomas Bethell Statue in Bristol City

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] On the occasion of the 140th anniversary of Korea-UK diplomatic relations and the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, a statue of Ernest Thomas Bethell (1872?1909, Korean name 'Bae Seol'), who contributed to Korea's independence, will be erected in the United Kingdom. This is the first time a statue of a Korean independence activist has been erected in the UK.

Park Min-sik, Commissioner of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, who is visiting the UK to strengthen friendly cooperative relations through veterans' policy exchanges with countries that contributed to the defense of the Republic of Korea and to explore ways to apply various advanced memorial and tribute facilities domestically, met with Thomas Owen Bethel's grandson and his spouse at a Korean restaurant in London on the 4th local time. He offered consolation and presented the Bethel commemorative stamp collection issued by the Korea Post in 2022.

According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs on the 6th, Director Park Min-sik met with Bethell’s grandson, Thomas Owen Bethell, on the 4th (local time) and gifted him a commemorative stamp collection issued last year, agreeing to erect the statue.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs recently confirmed Bethell’s birthplace in Bristol through a joint investigation with the Korean Embassy in the UK and is proceeding with the installation of a plaque with the Bristol City Council. The ministry plans to convey the intention to erect the Bethell statue to Bristol City and proceed with detailed procedures.

Bethell was a British independence activist who conducted anti-Japanese colonial activities through journalism during the Japanese occupation. He founded the Daehan Maeil Sinbo (currently Seoul Shinmun) and the Korea Daily News. He exposed the illegitimacy of the Eulsa Treaty and reported on King Gojong’s secret letters, leading anti-Japanese movements that denounced Japan’s aggression to the international community, and supported the national debt repayment movement. The Japanese colonial authorities, who regarded Bethell as a nuisance, demanded his expulsion to the UK. During the expulsion lawsuit, Bethell’s health deteriorated, and he ultimately died a martyr on May 1, 1909, at the age of 37. He was buried at the Yanghwajin Foreigners’ Cemetery in Seoul. The government posthumously awarded Bethell the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Presidential Medal (1950).

Bethell’s grandson, Thomas Owen Bethell, said, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, "The Republic of Korea is truly a remarkable country that values past connections by directly confirming the birthplace we could not find, proceeding with the plaque installation, and now pushing forward with the statue erection."