A welcome ceremony marks the arrival of the remains of independence fighter Li Yeosong and Lim Sungsil at Incheon International Airport on Nov. 15.
By Hur SomEe and Yoon Sojung
Photos = Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs
The remains of independence fighters who were buried overseas have come back home after more than 70 years.
The remains of two patriots — Li Yeosong (이여송, 李如松) (d. 1936) and Lim Sungsil (임성실, 林成實) (1882-1947), who were buried in China and in the U.S. — were formally received at Incheon International Airport on Nov. 15, and were subsequently reinterred at the Daejeon National Cemetery in Daejeon on Nov. 16, announced the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.
Li engaged in battles against Imperial Japanese forces in Manchuria during colonial times in the 1930s, and died in battle near Xian, Shaanxi Province, on Feb. 3, 1936.
Lim helped to establish the Korean Women’s Patriotic Corps and turn it into a representative for the New Korean Women’s Association in Dinuba, California, starting in 1919. She supported funding for Korea’s independence movement for 25 years, until 1944.
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said at the reception ceremony at the airport that, “From now on, the Republic of Korea will take care of these two patriots with sincerity as they were buried alone in foreign lands, far away from their home.”
Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon marks the arrival of the remains of two independence fighters back in Korea, at Incheon International Airport on Nov. 15.
sehp91@korea.kr
