The Pukkwan Victory Monument (''Pukkwan Taech'ŏppi'', full name ''Yumyŏng Chosŏnguk Hamgyŏngdo Imjin Ŭibyŏng Taech'ŏppi'', the "

Ming The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of China ruled by the Han people, t ...

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

Hamgyongdo Imjin righteous army victory monument") is a stone

stele A stele ( ) or stela ( )The plural in English is sometimes stelai ( ) based on direct transliteration of the Greek, sometimes stelae or stelæ ( ) based on the inflection of Greek nouns in Latin, and sometimes anglicized to steles ( ) or stela ...

written in Korean

Hanmun Classical Chinese is the language in which the classics of Chinese literature were written, from . For millennia thereafter, the written Chinese used in these works was imitated and iterated upon by scholars in a form now called Literary ...

commemorating a series of

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n military victories between 1592 and 1594 against the invading army of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

during the

Imjin War The Imjin War () was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War (). The conflict ended in 159 ...

. First erected in 1707 in

Kilju Kilju () is the Finnish word for a mead-like homemade alcoholic beverage made from a source of carbohydrates (such as cane sugar or honey), yeast, and water, making it both affordable and cheap to produce. The ABV depends on the yeast that ...

in what is now North Korea, it was subsequently taken to Japan during the Japanese occupation of Korea during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

of 1905. It was eventually discovered on the grounds of

Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Empire of Japan, Japan, from the Boshin War of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, First Sino-Japane ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, prompting a Korean outcry that it be returned. In a ceremony on 12 October 2005, it was turned over to officials from

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, who returned it to its original location, which is now in North Korea.

Creation

The Seven-Year War resulted from two Japanese invasions, in 1592 and 1597. The Koreans and their Chinese allies drove back the invasion but the bitter war was a disaster for the country. During the initial invasion, Korean general Chŏng Munbu formed a volunteer army that won eight victories between 1592 and 1594 against an army of 20,000 Japanese led by General

Katō Kiyomasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Azuchi–Momoyama period, Azuchi–Momoyama and Edo periods. His court title was . His name as a child was ''Yashamaru'', and first name was ''Toranosuke''. He was one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Hideyoshi's Seven ...

in the Hamgwallyong Pass area of Hamgyong Province, during Kato's Hamgyong campaign. In 1707, Send-off Ceremony for Joseon Monument Due Tues.
, KBS News, 27 February 2006 King

Sukjong Sukjong () is the temple name of several Korean kings. It can refer to: * Sukjong of Goryeo (1095-1105) * Sukjong of Joseon Sukjong (; 7 October 1661 – 12 July 1720), personal name Yi Sun (), was the 19th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Ko ...

ordered the creation of a monument commemorating the victories. The 187 cm tall and 66 cm wide stela has 1500 characters detailing the actions of the volunteer army. It was erected in

county,

North Hamgyong North Hamgyong Province (Hamgyŏngbukdo, ) is the northernmost province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Hamgyong Province. Geography The province is bordered by China (Jilin) to the north, S ...

Province, where it stood for the next two hundred years.

Removal to Japan

During the

of 1905, much of the

Korean peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

was under the occupation of the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

. The monument, located at Immyong Station, came to the attention of Major General Ikeda who was stationed in the area. Apparently displeased by it, he allowed Lieutenant General Miyoshi to take the monument home to Japan. It was placed in a Japanese imperial museum before being moved into the woods in the grounds of

, a

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

shrine honoring Japan's war dead. There it stood in obscurity for three-quarters of a century, forgotten by both the Japanese and Koreans. In 1969, Choe Myo-myeon, the director of the International Institute of Korean Studies in

came across the monument. In the meantime, Yasukuni Shrine had become a focus of controversy after several Class A war criminals of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

had been honored there. Many Koreans were outraged to learn that a Korean victory monument over a Japanese invasion now stood on the grounds of a Japanese shrine seen as commemorating the militarism that had caused immense suffering in Korea.

Negotiations

Despite requests by the

n government and civic groups that the monument be returned, Japan refused, stating that doing so violated their principle of " separation of religion and politics" and that as the monument originally stood in what was now

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

, South Korea was not in a position to negotiate its return. The deadlock was finally broken in December 2004, when

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

monks from North and South Korea agreed to work together to retrieve the monument. South Korean

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Lee Hae Chan and North Korean president of the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium Kim Yong Nam discussed the issue at a meeting in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

in April 2005. This led to further talks at the 15th inter-Korean Cabinet-level meeting in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. These talks marked the monument as a major issue of inter-Korean cooperation, removed the Japanese objection about the confusion caused by a divided Korea, and led to their agreement to return the monument. On 12 October 2005, a brief ceremony attended by priests of the shrine, representatives of the

Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs The is an executive department of the Government of Japan, and is responsible for the country's foreign policy and international relations. The ministry was established by the second term of the third article of the National Government Organiz ...

and officials from the embassy of South Korea was held at the monument to turn over control. South Korea briefly put the monument on display at Gyeongbok Palace in

. On 28 February 2006, a ceremony was held before the tomb of General Chŏng Munbu in

Gyeonggi Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

Province before its return north. On 23 March 2006, North Korea's Central News Agency reported that a ceremony had been held to restore the monument to

Kimchaek Kimch'aek (), formerly Sŏngjin ( Chosŏn'gŭl: 성진, Hancha: 城津), is a city in North Hamgyong Province, North Korea. It was an open port in 1899. It has a population of 207,699. Etymology The city received its current name in 1951 duri ...

Province and that it had been designated

National Treasure A national treasure is a structure, artifact, object or cultural work that is officially or popularly recognized as having particular value to the nation, or representing the ideals of the nation. The term has also been applied to individuals or ...

No. 193.Ancient Monument Restored in N. Korea
, KBS News, 23 March 2006

Notes and references

External links

Retrieving of Historical Monument, Bukgwandaecheopbi
KBS News
Yasukuni monument returned to S Korea

Japan Today ''Japan Today'' is a website that publishes wire articles, press releases, and photographs, as well as opinion and contract pieces, such as company profiles, in English. References External links * 2000 establishments in Japan English- ...

, 13 October 2005
Kilju / Kilchu / Kisshu / Gilju
globalsecurity.org *

{{coord, 40, 45, 32.2, N, 129, 16, 4.6, E, display=title 1707 works 18th-century inscriptions Repatriated objects Buildings and structures in North Hamgyong Province Decolonization of Korea Imjin War Japan–Korea relations Works by Joseon people Korean inscriptions Military history of Korea Monuments and memorials in North Korea National Treasures of North Korea North Korea–South Korea relations Victory steles

Creation

Removal to Japan

Negotiations

Notes and references

See also

External links