HAEUNDAE-gu

Independence activist Kang Geun-ho was born in Jeongpyeong, Hangyeongnam-do. Following his involvement in the 1916 Student Uprising, Kang made his way to Manchuria and graduated from Sinheung Military Academy, the center of the armed independence struggle at that time, in 1919. He then joined the Northern Route Military Command as an instructor and commander in June 1920, with Chief of Staff Lee Jang-ryeong.

He was one of the field commanders at the Battle of Qing-shan-li in October 1920, leading the 1st Company to a victory immortalized in the Korean struggle for independence. After that, he was involved in the armed struggles in the Siberian region, eventually joining the socialist-aligned Korean Revolutionary Military Congress until the news of Korea’s liberation reached him in Manchuria.

After returning to Korea in 1947, he joined the South Korean forces in February 1949 as an officer (ID no. 13193) at the age of 52. He would serve the new republic through the Korean War until 1956, when he retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and the commander of the 118th Regiment, 103th Division.

He passed away in Yeongseon-dong, Yeongdo, in February 1960. His remains were first moved to Jangsan in 1964 and then to Daejeon National Cemetery in December 1990. Furthermore, he was awarded multiple citations, including the Patriotic Medal (No. 103) in 1990, in recognition of his contribution to Korean independence. In April 2000, the Republic of Korea Army 53rd Division erected a memorial dedicated to Kang in his place of death.

His name regained people’s attention in 2002 with the publishing of his biography. Following this newfound recognition, his memorial was designated as a national memorial in September 2003, and the Memorial Foundation to the Patriot Kang Geun-ho was founded in April 2005 to continue his works in service of his people and nation.