150th Anniversary of the Birth of Hong Beom-do
  
information on Korean stamp
Date of Issue |
: 2018.10.12 |
Types |
: 1 |
Denomination |
: 330 won |
Design |
: |
Stamp No. |
: 3343 |
Printing Process
& Colors |
: Offset, Four Colors |
Size of Stamp |
: 40 × 30 |
WholeSheet
Composition |
: 4 × 4 (180mm × 155mm) |
Image Area |
: 40 × 30 |
Paper |
: White unwatermarked |
Perforation |
: 13 × 13¼ |
Printer |
: POSA |
Designer |
: Park,Eun-kyung |
Quantity |
: Total 672,000 |
Detail
General Hong Beom-do (1868 - 1943) is a legendary leader
of the Korean Righteous Army and the Korean Independence
Army, who began his fight against the Imperial Japanese Army;
continued engaging in armed conflict for Korea s independence
for more than 50 years, until his last breath in Kazakhstan.
Born into a poor farming household in Pyeongyang, General
Hong lost his parents when he was young and had to endure
an arduous childhood life, working as a servant. During his midteens,
he lied about his age to enlist in the military. However, he
ended up going absent without leave due to the unbearable level
of corruption internally. He then gained recognition as a hunter
thanks to his superior skill in rifle shooting and continued to enjoy
a stable life until joining ranks with the Korean Righteous Army.
In 1907, Japan passed the Control of firearms and Explosives
Act that required hunters to turn in their hunting guns. In
response to the outlawing of his personal hunting arms, General
Hong organized resistance forces, leading them to substantial
victories against Japanese garrisons. In 1910, after earning the
nickname, Flying Hong Beom-do, for his stellar performance as
the leader of the Korean Righteous Army, he crossed the border
into Manchuria with a small number of followers while continuing
the fight against the Japanese army and training soldiers for the
Korean Independence Army. In 1919, immediately upon the rise
of the March First Movement, he returned as a commander-inchief
in the Korean Independence Army and successfully attacked
Japanese troops. Most notably, he defeated the Japanese Imperial
Army in 1920 as the top commander of the Korean Independence
Army in the Battles of Fengwudong and Qingshanli, both
regarded as the greatest victories of the Korean Independence
Army against the Imperial Japanese forces.
In preparation for Japan s massive retaliation, he moved to the
area bordering the Heilongjiang Province of China, along with
other independence fighters and formed the Korean Liberation
Army, serving as its deputy commander. In the wake of the
massacre at Alexeyevsk (present-day Svobodny), the most tragic
incident in the history of the Korean independence movement,
General Hong had to do away with his plan to resume the armed
resistance against the Japanese army in Russian territory. He
then ran a collective farm in Primorsky Krai and strove to inspire
the national spirit among Korean expatriates living in the Russian
territory. In 1937, however, Stalin`s expulsion of Koreans from the
Russian Far East drove General Hong to Kazakhstan, where he
served as a senior leader in the Korean community before passing
away at the age of 75 in 1943.
General Hong Beom-do was the most revered resistance figure.
We hope this commemorative stamp will serve as a reminder to
all Koreans, at home and abroad, of his lifetime devotion to the
armed struggle for national independence during the Japanese
Occupation, from his time as a leader of the Korean Righteous
Army to his dedicated service as commander of the Korean
Independence Army.