Korean independence heroes buried abroad granted symbolic passports
Decades after dying on foreign soil in the fierce struggle against Japan's 1910-45 colonial occupation, 30 Korean independence activists whose remains still lie buried abroad are receiving a symbolic homecoming. To mark the upcoming Aug. 15 Liberation Day, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Korean food company Binggrae have launched a nationwide public campaign titled "The Brightest Passport of Korea." The joint initiative presents official honorary passports to the surviving descendants of independence patriots who passed away in foreign countries prior to Korea’s liberation on Aug. 15, 1945, and whose resting places remain overseas. Modeled directly after modern Korean passports, the custom travel documents incorporate historical records and design elements commemorating the anticolonial movement, including archival photographs, excerpts from historic resistance newspapers, the national flag, Harbin Station — where independence hero Ahn Jung-geun struck a decisive blow against Japanese imperialism in Manchuria — and the Sinheung Mi
