Awards Presented by Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs
in Commemoration of the 106th March 1st Movement Anniversary
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced on the 26th that it will award a total of 96 independence activists, both domestic and overseas, including Lee Eung-ho, who led armed resistance movements between China and Korea, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Liberation and the 106th anniversary of the March 1st Movement.
An article from Maeil Shinbo (June 17, 1925) containing content related to the activities of Lee Eung-ho (Patriotic Medal) as a member of Gwangjeongdan. Photo by Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs
Lee Eung-ho (Patriotic Medal) was born in Bukcheong, Hamgyeongnam-do. In June 1923 (lunar calendar), he joined Gwangjeongdan (光正團), an independence movement organization active in Manchuria, China, and Korea, where he was involved in raising military funds. He was arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison. He also played a role in establishing the foundation of the independence movement by maintaining contact with the Gwangjeongdan headquarters and delivering weapons and documents related to the independence movement.
Park Jang-rok (Patriotic Medal), from Hwacheon, Gangwon-do, learned that the Korean Independence Movement was spreading across Joseon after March 1, 1919. Together with Kim Chang-ui (Patriotic Medal, 1990), he attempted to organize an independence demonstration using the Hwacheon market day by informing residents and producing a flag with the inscription "Daehan Doknipguk Manse" ("Long live the Independent Korean Nation"). He was arrested and sentenced to eight months in prison. Although the planned uprising did not materialize, it spread to neighboring villages and became a catalyst for the local March 1st Movement.
Additionally, Shin Eul-no (National Foundation Medal), who was active as an executive committee member and spiritual leader of the Korean National Revolutionary Party's Hawaii branch in the United States in 1943, supported independence movement funds multiple times from 1919 to 1945. Yoon Wook-ha (Presidential Citation), from Haenam, Jeollanam-do, participated in a strike demanding the retention of Korean teachers while attending Gochang High School in Jeonbuk as a third-year student in 1929. He was suspended indefinitely and later arrested in January 1930 for planning an independence demonstration with fellow students in response to the Gwangju Student Movement. Both were also awarded as independence patriots.
Among the 96 awardees commemorated this year on the March 1st anniversary, 40 received the Order of Merit for National Foundation (9 Patriotic Medals, 31 Patriotic Medals for National Foundation), 9 received the National Foundation Medal, and 47 received the Presidential Citation. There are no surviving independence patriots among the awardees. The Orders of Merit and Presidential Citations will be presented to descendants at the central ceremony for the 106th March 1st anniversary and at ceremonies hosted by local governments.
With this, the total number of independence patriots awarded since the establishment of the Republic of Korea government has reached 18,258. Among them, 11,818 received the Order of Merit for National Foundation, 1,540 received the National Foundation Medal, and 4,900 received the Presidential Citation. Of these, 664 are women and 76 are foreigners.
Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kang Jeong-ae stated, “On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Liberation, we deeply honor the independence patriots who sacrificed and devoted themselves to the independence of the homeland despite severe trials and oppression.” She added, “The government will continue to strive to discover and award independence patriots so that the public, especially future generations, can remember and inherit the lives and noble spirit of independence of our ancestors.”
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