Due to the Military Academy’s decision, the bust of General Hong Beom-do will eventually be kicked out of the school. But this is not the end. There are a series of sensitive issues related to General Hong that are likely to intensify controversy at any time. Representative issues include △changing the name of the Hong Beom-do ship, △relocating the bust within the Ministry of National Defense, and △examining additional awards.
Should Hong Beom-do keep his name?
The issue of whether to change the name of the Navy’s 214-class (1,800-ton) submarine ‘Hong Beom-do’ is a hot topic. The military authorities were conscious of the controversy and limited themselves to the general stance of “We will review it if necessary.” However, Prime Minister Han Deok-soo sparked fire in the National Assembly on the 31st of last month, saying, “We must consider changing the name,” and “We cannot use the name of a former Soviet Communist Party member on a warship that must fight our main enemy.”
The military authorities look perplexed. Accordingly, an official from the Ministry of National Defense reaffirmed the existing position on the 1st, saying, “We have not considered changing the name of the ship, and as far as we know there has been no order from above.”
Naval ship names are selected by the Ship Name Creation Committee. Among independence fighters and national patriotic heroes, their combat achievements and national recognition and preference are comprehensively taken into consideration. Destroyers, the core force of the Navy, are named after national defenders who contributed to overcoming national crises, and submarines are named after independence activists. In addition to Hong Beom-do, Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, An Jung-geun, and Yu Gwan-sun also followed this method.
The problem is that there is no precedent for changing the name of a ship. There is no reason for the military and government to invite controversy again following the previous bust. They are trying to move the bust outside of the Military Academy citing General Hong’s ‘communist history’, but even the Ministry of National Defense recognizes his contribution to the independence movement.
Therefore, it does not conflict with the existing method of naming submarines. This is why the military authorities are passive in changing the name of the Hong Beom-do ship. On the contrary, Prime Minister Han was overly ambitious. Attention is being paid to how the government will resolve the issue in the future.
Ministry of Veterans Affairs “Starts review of additional awards”… What happened before the Pentagon bust?
As the bust of General Hong Beom-do in the Ministry of National Defense먹튀검증 was highlighted as the bust installed in the Korean Military Command was highlighted, it was decided not to move the bust of General Hong Beom-do in the Ministry of National Defense. The Ministry of National Defense reiterated its position on this day, saying, “We may review the need for relocation, but no decision has been made yet.”
Currently, busts of 13 national salvation heroes from each era are placed in front of the main building of the Ministry of National Defense. It consists of independence activists such as Yun Bong-gil, Lee Bong-chang, Ahn Jung-geun, Park Seung-hwan, Hong Beom-do, Kang Woo-gyu, and Kim Jwa-jin, generals who stood up to the cries such as Yi Sun-sin, Kang Gam-chan, and Eulji Mundeok, and righteous army chiefs such as Shin Dol-seok, Lee Kang-nyeon, and Yoo In-seok. These busts have not raised any issues for 25 years since their installation in 1998.
Another trigger is the issue of General Hong’s ‘double honor’. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs plans to reexamine General Hong’s additional award of the Republic of Korea Order of Merit for National Foundation as early as next week. General Hong received the Presidential Medal in 1962 and the Order of the Republic of Korea in 2021.
An official from the Ministry of Veterans Affairs said, “There will be specific discussions about the review at the Public Review Committee in the near future.” The Order of Merit for National Foundation is awarded to a person who has made great contributions to the founding of the Republic of Korea. General Hong received the Order of Merit additionally for his achievements in promoting national spirit as a symbol of the anti-Japanese armed struggle under Japanese colonial rule and in promoting friendship between Korea and Kazakhstan. Only listed.