A group of researchers are seeking clues in Japan as to the whereabouts of the remains of South Korean patriot Ahn Jung-geun, in the first trip of its kind, sources said Wednesday

“A group of four researchers left for Japan yesterday as part of efforts by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to find the buried remains of Ahn Jung-geun,” said the government source, as quoted by other news agencies.

“They will gather information till Oct. 9 in Fukui Prefecture,” he said.

Ahn, one of Korea’s most honored independence fighters against Japanese colonial rule in the early 20th century, was executed in Lushun prison in China a century ago for shooting dead the first Japanese governor general of Korea, Hirobumi Ito.

However, the exact whereabouts of his remains is unknown. The Korean government’s decades-long efforts to locate his body have so far been in vain, mostly due to a lack of proper records, which are believed to be withheld by the Japanese government.

“After Ahn received the execution sentence, a monk from a Buddhist temple in Fukui Prefecture visited Ahn inside the Lushun prison in China and prayed for his afterlife,” said the source.

“The research group plans on interviewing monks of the temple and look for related material.”

The government and academic circles here believe that the Japanese government has records pertaining to the whereabouts of Ahn’s burial following his execution.

In April 2008, Seoul requested records from the Japanese government regarding Ahn’s burial through diplomatic channels, but were told that no such records existed.

Between March and April of the same year, the Korean government had received cooperation from the Chinese authorities and excavated sites near the prison in China but was unable to find any remains.

The archeologists had considered all possible sites in the vicinity, believing the plains north of the prison were a likely spot, but were unable to uncover more than animal remains in 29 days of excavation of the site.

By Robert Lee (robert@heraldcorp.com)