South Korean Prime Minister Visits Lushun, Seeks Repatriation of Ahn Jung-geun's Remains

Central News Agency (Taipei, June 26) - South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok visited the former site of the Lushun Prison, where Korean independence activist Ahn Jung-geun was incarcerated, and the former Kwantung District Court, where he was tried, during his visit to Dalian. Kim stated that the time has come to actively seek and repatriate the remains of the patriot Ahn Jung-geun back to South Korea.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim remarked that Ahn's life represented a tragic and heroic history that inspires deep reflection. He emphasized that while South Korea has become a developed nation, the foundation of this progress rests upon the sacrifices of martyrs during difficult times.

Kim expressed gratitude to China for its efforts in preserving these historical sites and requested that the Chinese government further improve the facilities to facilitate visits by Korean citizens.

Ahn Jung-geun, born in 1879, was a leader in the anti-Japanese volunteer army. On October 26, 1909, he assassinated Ito Hirobumi at the Harbin railway station. He was arrested on the spot and executed at Lushun Prison on March 26 the following year.

During his three-day visit, Kim toured his alma mater, Tsinghua University, held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Dalian, and delivered a speech at the Summer Davos Forum. Regarding the outcomes, he noted that both sides reached a consensus on strengthening Korea-China relations, discussed cooperation in cutting-edge technologies, and requested China's active role in facilitating inter-Korean and DPRK-US dialogues, to which the Chinese side responded positively.