On July 27, 1953, representatives of the Korean War signed the Korean Armistice Agreement at Panmunjom, ending the three-year war. In the Korean War, the Chinese People's Volunteers fought to defend their homeland and the country, and suffered heavy casualties. Many soldiers died heroically, and their remains remained on the Korean Peninsula.
Over the years, South Korea has unearthed the remains of volunteer martyrs, and in 2013 offered to return them to China, but put forward two conditions, requiring the construction of memorials in Harbin and Shanghai to commemorate the two North Korean anti-Japanese heroes.
However, for North Korea, they never need to "return" the remains of volunteer martyrs, because in the hearts of the North Korean people, these martyrs are like family members, and staying here forever is their best destination.
During the Korean War, a large number of remains of volunteer martyrs remained on the Korean Peninsula
On June 25, 1950, the Korean War broke out. In order to help the Korean people resist US aggression and defend their homeland, China decided to form a Chinese People's Volunteer Army to participate in the Korean War. The Volunteer Army fought back and fought from the first to the fifth, and suffered heavy casualties in battles with the American and South Korean forces.
Especially in the summer and autumn of 1951, in order to block the counteroffensive of the US army, the volunteers fought a desperate resistance battle in the Cheorwon area, and the sacrifices were extremely huge. According to incomplete statistics, during the Korean War, the Chinese volunteers suffered more than 1.8 million casualties, including more than 1.2 million deaths.
Many martyrs died heroically, and their remains could not be brought back to their homeland, so they had to remain on the land of the Korean Peninsula. Most of these martyrs died in what is now South Korea, including Cheorwon, Chuncheon and other most tragic battlefields of that year. Over time, the remains of these martyrs were buried.
In 2013, South Korea offered to return the remains of volunteer martyrs, but with two conditions attached
As time passed, the Korean War faded into oblivion. And those volunteer martyrs who still remain in foreign lands have also become a historical problem that China and South Korea must face. In 2013, when then-South Korean President Park Geun-hye visited China, she made it clear that the South Korean side wanted to return the remains of volunteer martyrs found in South Korea.
This proposal received a positive response from the Chinese side. Returning the remains of martyrs and allowing them to "go home" is the least respect for the dead. However, the South Korean side also attached two conditions to its proposal: First, it hoped that the Chinese side would build a memorial hall for South Korean independence activist Ahn Chong-geun near the Harbin railway station, and second, a memorial hall for South Korean independence activist Yoon Bong-gil in Shanghai.
Both Ahn and Yoon were prominent representatives of the Korean independence movement, and both had carried out assassinations of high-ranking Japanese officials in China. The South Korean side hopes to take the opportunity to return the remains of the martyrs and at the same time commemorate the two national heroes. Considering the friendly relations between the two sides, China finally accepted these two conditions.
In the DPRK, the martyrs of the volunteers have long been well commemorated and cared for
Unlike South Korea, North Korea has never said that it "returned" the remains of volunteer martyrs. That is because these Chinese fighters who bravely sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the Korean people have long since become their own in the hearts of the North Koreans. As soon as the Korean War ended, vast martyrs' cemeteries began to be built in various parts of Korea to commemorate the fallen volunteer soldiers.
At present, the DPRK has built 8 large-scale martyrs' cemeteries, 62 martyrs' cemeteries, and 243 joint burial cemeteries of unknown martyrs, with a total area of more than 700,000 square meters. Among them, the most famous is the Hichang County Martyrs Cemetery in South Pyongan Province, where there are not only the tombs of heroes such as Qiu Shaoyun and Huang Jiguang, but also the burial of Mao Zedong's eldest son Mao Anying, who is buried in this land with the martyrs of the Korean people.
In the hearts of the Korean people, these martyrs from China are their brothers. Instead of "returning", they treated these martyrs as their own, forever mourning and caring for these martyrs with brotherhood. As Chairman Mao said: "It is very glorious for the commander and fighter of the Volunteer Army to die in the place where he fought." "The mountains and rivers of North Korea are the best destination for the volunteers.
The spirit of the Chinese Volunteers will always shine, and the friendship between China and the DPRK will last forever
More than 70 years after the end of the Korean War, the world has changed, but the heroic spirit of the volunteers in "resisting US aggression and aiding Korea" is always worthy of admiration and remembrance. In recent years, there have been frequent exchanges between China and the DPRK, and the Chinese expert team has also assisted the DPRK in renovating a number of martyrs' cemeteries. All these efforts are telling us that history should not be forgotten, and that we must repay our debts and cherish them.
The heroic souls of the martyrs may have long since been buried, but their spirits live on. We should learn from Xi and carry forward the patriotic spirit of the Chinese People's Volunteers, enhance the friendship between the Chinese and DPRK peoples, and work together for lasting peace in the region and the world.
Welcome to leave a message in the comment area to discuss!
#文章首发挑战赛#