President Lee Welcomes Return of Ahn Joonggeun's "Yumok"... "Restoring Everything to Its Rightful Place"

President Lee's message on social media
Calligraphy "Binimucheom Buimugyo (貧而無諂 富而無驕)"
Tokyo Metropolitan Government loans it for six months...commemorative exhibition on March 26

President Lee Jaemyung stated regarding the calligraphic work (Yumok) of Independence Activist Ahn Joonggeun, which the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has brought into Korea in the form of a loan, that he "welcomes together with the people the return of the calligraphy of Ahn Joonggeun, Lieutenant General and Chief of Staff of the Korean Righteous Army, who is not a terrorist."

On the 22nd, President Lee shared a post by Democratic Party of Korea Assemblyman Park Chan-dae on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, "The government of popular sovereignty is also doing its utmost to locate and repatriate the remains of Ahn Joonggeun," adding, "Independence and autonomy do not come by themselves; they are achieved and safeguarded through firm resolve and ceaseless struggle."

The calligraphy that has now entered Korea is the piece owned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government titled "Binimucheom Buimugyo (貧而無諂 富而無驕)." On the 20th, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has loaned it to the Ahn Joonggeun Memorial Hall for six months. The ministry plans to release the work to the public at the memorial hall in conjunction with a special exhibition on March 26 next month, marking the 116th anniversary of Ahn's martyrdom.

"Binimucheom Buimugyo" is a passage from the Analects meaning "Do not flatter even in poverty, and do not be arrogant even in wealth," which Ahn rendered in brush calligraphy. It is reported that the work bears the phrase "In the year of Gyeongsul (1910), in Lushun Prison, Ahn Joonggeun of Daehan-guk (the Korean Empire)," along with his palm seal (handprint seal).

President Lee said, "For those who devoted themselves and made extraordinary sacrifices to reclaim and defend our country, we must ceaselessly record and remember them, and provide them with special compensation and honor." Referring to the common saying that "three generations are ruined if they engage in the independence movement, while three generations prosper if they collaborate with Japanese imperialism and betray the nation," he stressed, "We must now restore everything to its rightful place."

Meanwhile, in relation to the issue of locating and repatriating the remains of independence patriots, President Lee had previously ordered that it "be discussed in advance as an agenda item for summit talks," and through this latest message he reaffirmed his intention to continue efforts to locate and bring back Ahn's remains.