Sacrifices of patriots will never be forgotten, Yoon promises

President Yoon Seok-yeol pledged that the government will never neglect those who sacrificed themselves for the country as he honored Korean independence fighters on Sunday, a day before Liberation Day.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, center, takes part in a procession to transfer the remains of 17 independence fighters of the Korean Liberation Army to the Daejeon National Cemetery in a ceremony at the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, Sunday. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged that the government will never neglect those who sacrificed themselves for the country as he honored Korean independence fighters on Sunday, a day before Liberation Day.

Yoon took part in a ceremony at the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, southern Seoul to transfer the remains of 17 independence fighters of the Korean Liberation Army to the Daejeon National Cemetery.

The remains of the patriots were previously buried at the Suyuri cemetery in Gangbuk District, northern Seoul. They were transferred last Thursday to the Seoul National Cemetery for the ceremony.

The remains will then be interred at the Daejeon National Cemetery in Daejeon, where independence fighters and other citizens of merit who sacrificed themselves for the country are buried.

"Going forward, the government ensures that there will not be one iota of negligence in honoring those who sacrificed and devoted themselves to the nation and the people," Yoon said in his speech during the ceremony.

"The freedom that we enjoy to the fullest today is possible thanks to the sacrifices of those who fought for freedom and the independence of our home country with their lives despite the dark reality and despair under the Japanese colonial rule."

The ceremony was attended by over 100 people, including Minister of National Defense Lee Jong-Sup, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-shik, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Seung-kyum and family members of the patriots.

Yoon said his administration will spare no effort in "remembering the sacrifices and devotions of the unknown until the end."

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at a ceremony to transfer the remains of 17 independence fighters of the Korean Liberation Army at the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, Sunday. [YONHAP]

The president, his ministers and military chiefs, and relatives of the fighters laid flowers and burned incense to honor the 17 fallen heroes.

The Korean provisional government formed the Liberation Army in 1940 in Chongqing, China, which fought for independence during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.

The independence fighters who fought in the anti-Japanese struggle honored Sunday included some who died in prison after arrest by Japan's military and others who were killed in action in China. Of the 17 fighters, 13 had only been in their 20s when they died.

Yoon posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation to one of the deceased independence fighters, Han Hwi, who enlisted in the Korean Liberation Army in May 1942, and died carrying out surveillance operations.

Han was recognized for greatly contributing to the independence of Korea and the building of the country. He was the only one out of the 17 fighters who had not yet been awarded a medal.

Because Han had no descendants, Lee Hyung-jin, chairman of the Korean Liberation Army Memorial Foundation and the descendant of another independence fighter, received the medal.

The remains of the 17 fighters, along with their portraits and medals were then transferred to vehicles to transport them to the Daejeon National Cemetery in a procession led by military officers, the president and the family members.

Monday is Korea's 77th National Liberation Day, marking the day Korea was liberated from Japanese rule on Aug. 15, 1945, with the allied victory in World War II.

On Sunday afternoon, Yoon visited the home of 97-year-old patriot Kim Young-kwan in Songpa District, southeastern Seoul, to express his gratitude for his sacrifices and dedication to the country.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]