DISCOVERING HIDDEN FREEDOM FIGHTERS

[Anchor Lead]

This year marks the 76th anniversary of Korean independence. A study is under way to uncover hitherto unknown, hidden freedom fighters out of numerous figures who dedicated their lives to achieve national independence. So far 346 activists have been newly discovered. Take a look.

[Pkg]

The 1905 Protectorate Treaty with Japan gave rise to citizen militias in the following years. In 1906, some 1,000 militiamen fought against 500 Japanese troops in what’s known as the Hongju Righteous Army's Battle. The fight was a one-sided massacre perpetrated by Japan. One Japanese soldier died while as many as 900 Koreans were believed to have lost their lives.

[Soundbite] LEE YUN-HYEON(CURATOR, FORTRESS HISTORY MUSEUM) : "Japanese troops at the time had abundant combat experience from the Russo-Japanese War and therefore completely overwhelmed the Korean militia army using their firepower."

One of the senior ranking freedom fighters of the Hongju Battle was Nam Gyu-jin. The name has finally been identified after remaining in the dark for over a century. According to the annals of King Gojong, Nam Gyu-jin raised a militia army in Yesan and entered the Hongju area where he served as chief of staff to fellow righteous army leader Min Jong-sik. The Chungnam Institute of History and Culture has confirmed through various records that Nam Gyu-jin took part in the Hongju Battle after which he was arrested and sentenced to life and was then incarcerated on Tsushima Island. The institute has newly uncovered 346 independence activists such as Nam since last year through a meaningful project aimed at finding those unsung heroes.

[Soundbite] JEONG EUL-GYEONG(RESEARCHER, CHUNGNAM INSTITUTE OF HISTORY & CULTURE) : "We combed through court rulings, lists of convicted persons and databases of Japanese colonial era records."

The institute will seek to apply for the conferment of decorations for 150 of them and will continue expanding research to discover more hidden figures who fought for Korean independence.