The grave of Ahn Won-sang, the nephew of patriot Ahn Jung-geun, confirmed in the U.S. after 43 years… Efforts to repatriate to Korea are underway.

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The grave of Ahn Won-saeng, the nephew of patriot Ahn Jung-geun and an independence activist, has been confirmed in the United States after 43 years.

On the 3rd, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs officially announced that it had discovered the grave of Ahn Won-saeng at Sunland Memorial Park in Arizona, USA. This is a significant discovery as it represents an important missing piece in the history of our independence movement.

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Ahn Won-saeng is a pivotal figure in the history of Korea's independence movement, being the son of Ahn Jung-geun's brother, Ahn Jung-geun. He was also active as a football player in China, where he played with the Tianjin team and led them to victory in matches against Western merchant teams. He later served as the coach of the football team at Peking University.

In 1925, Ahn Won-saeng distributed pamphlets and organized anti-Japanese demonstrations in the French Concession of Shanghai, China. He worked as a publicity officer for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in 1933 and served as the head of the External Affairs Department and secretary of the Publicity Department in 1943, dedicating his life to the independence movement.

His contributions were recognized when he was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation in 1990.

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Life in the United States and the process of discovering his grave

According to the investigation by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, Ahn Won-saeng immigrated to the United States in 1952, living in New York and other places until he passed away in Arizona in April 1982.

At the end of last year, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs first discovered Ahn's grave while conducting a survey of the graves of independence activists in the southwestern United States.

After the discovery, a thorough analysis of diplomatic documents from the United States and the United Kingdom revealed that Ahn used the English name "David An" in the United States.

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The Ministry of Veterans Affairs subsequently confirmed through additional investigation that a gravestone inscribed with "David W. S. Ahn" belongs to Ahn Won-saeng. They also stated that they plan to actively pursue repatriating his remains to his homeland after negotiating with his family.

This important work aims to honor the spirit of patriots who dedicated their lives to the independence movement abroad and to inform the public of their sacrifices and contributions.

Additionally, during this investigation, the Ministry identified an additional 29 graves of independence activists, including patriot Kang Young-seung (posthumously awarded in 2016), whose whereabouts had been uncertain, at a cemetery near Los Angeles.

Plans will be developed for the repatriation of remains or local management of these independence activists after confirming their descendants.

Image source: The grave of independence activist Ahn Won-saeng, interred at Sunland Memorial Park in Arizona, USA. / Ministry of Veterans Affairs, YouTube 'Stump', Ministry of Veterans Affairs.

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