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| Images of Korean independence fighter Choi Jae-hyung, left, and his wife Elena Petrovna Choi restored by artificial intelligence technology / Courtesy of Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs |
By Lee Hyo-jin
The remains of Korean independence fighter Choi Jae-hyung and his wife Elena Petrovna Choi will be reunited in Korea after being separated for over a century.
The remains of the independence fighter's spouse were repatriated to Korea from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Tuesday, after more than 70 years following her passing in 1952, according to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Her remains will be temporarily laid to rest at Seoul National Cemetery until Monday.
The ministry will bring soil from where the independence fighter is assumed to have died in the far eastern region of Ussuriysk, Russia, Friday. Choi was killed by the Imperial Japanese Army in April 7, 1920, but his remains have not been recovered.
The soil and the remains of the independence fighter's wife will be interred together at an enshrining ceremony next Monday at Seoul National Cemetery, a day before National Liberation Day which falls on Aug. 15.
A grave for the independent fighter was initially established at the national cemetery in 1970. But in 2009, it was found that the wrong remains had been buried by someone who had claimed to be his descendant.
The independence fighter was born on Aug. 16, 1865, in North Hamgyong Province, which now lies in North Korea. He made a fortune by providing military supplies to Russia and used the money to finance independence fighters and to support Korean immigrants in Russia. He built 30 schools in Russia's Primorsky Krai.
Choi married Elena in Russia in 1897 and the couple gave birth to eight children.
Choi's wife supported her husband's independence movement efforts and took care of the family of renowned independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun after his death. But after her husband's death in 1920, she was deported to Kyrgyzstan where she spent the rest of her life.
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| Officials of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs pay tribute to Elena Petrovna Choi in Incheon, Tuesday, when her remains were repatriated from Kyrgyzstan. Courtesy of Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs |
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