Remains of Activist

[Anchor Lead]

Independence activist An Jung-geun's last wish before he was executed for assassinating once Japanese Resident-General of Korea Hirobumi Ito was to have his remains buried in his fatherland after Korea regains its sovereignty. However, the inter-Korean efforts to recover his remains have failed to yield any result, because China's cooperation is essential in finding his remains.

[Pkg]

Independence activist An Jung-geun's trial was held in 1910 at the Lushun Japanese Guandong Court in China. After six hearings, he was sentenced to death. He then received a letter from his mother and gave up on an appeal.

[Soundbite] Jeong Chun-mae(Deputy Dir. Museum of Lushun Japanese Guandong Court) : "The letter said if you appeal, it's like begging the Imperial Japan for your life, so die bravely for Korea."

He was incarcerated in Lushun Prison nearby before being executed on March 26th of that year. His last words were to have his remains buried in Korea after the country regained its sovereignty, but the Imperial Japanese regime refused to hand over his body to his family.

[Soundbite] Park Yong-geun(Pres. An Jung-geun Society in Dalian) : "An left many documents here, such as his memoir and theory for peace in the East."

The Lushun Prison cemetery was designated a protected cultural property in 2001. It is one of the most likeliest places where An's remains were buried. In 2008 the South Korean government attempted to recover his remains from a mountain behind the prison with China's cooperation, but failed to find anything. Chinese authorities have realized the need for the joint inter-Korean effort to discover the patriot's remains, but recently improved relations between China and Japan may affect the inter-Korean recovery project.