Ahn Yeon-ho talked softly. Her voice was calm in tone, but full of confidence. One could feel the pride and dignity glowing in her.
Ahn is a granddaughter of Ahn Jung-geun, one of Korea`s most revered independence fighters against Japanese colonial rule in the early 20th century. As today marks the 100th anniversary of his death, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs invited his 72-year-old granddaughter to visit Korea.
Ahn, her English name Margaret Rhea Ahn, never met her grandfather, but she was able to learn about him from her grandmother.
"I was very close to my grandmother and used to trail along wherever she went. And the old ladies would greet her with respect," said Ahn, who resides in Seattle. "You just pick it up that he was a very respected man."
She moved to Seattle aged 12 with a couple who were acquaintances of her parents. This is her third visit as an adult to the country her grandfather sacrificed his life for.
Ahn Jung-geun assassinated the first Japanese governor general of Korea, Hirobumi Ito, on Oct. 26, 1909, in Harbin, northern China. He was arrested and hanged in Lushun prison in the Liaoning province of China a century ago.
Despite his importance in Korean history, however, the whereabouts of his body are still unknown. According to records, he is believed to have been buried somewhere near the prison. The Korean government has been trying to locate his remains for years but has been mostly kept in the dark by the Japanese government.
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"Frankly, I`m a little pessimistic. It sounds like the Japanese made up their minds at that time to take care of things in such a way that he could never be found," she said. "But I try not to be so negative and I certainly hope that some progress will be made."
President Lee Myung-bak ordered his government Monday to work with China and Japan on the stalled project. Ahn also requested help from the two governments.
"I`m sure that Japan and China also feel the way we do about the project and that it would put all our hearts and minds to rest if his remains were found," she said.
She also believed that Korean history should be a mandatory course at high schools and not an elective. Korean history is to become an elective course from the 2011 academic year.
"I just don`t approve of it. If a country doesn`t teach history to its young people, I don`t understand what the purpose is of being a country," she said. "In the United States, American history is mandatory."
As a descendant of the independence fighter, she spoke on the matter of calling her grandfather a general. The Korean Army recently decided to change Ahn`s title from "Ahn the martyr" to "General Ahn." There has been much debate over the issue, with some arguing that the title "general" signifies a step down.
"I`m neutral on the decision. Ahn belongs to the Korean people and I think it`s for Korea to decide," she said.
After participating in a commemorative ceremony in Seoul Plaza today, she will leave Korea on Tuesday and head to Shanghai where she plans to visit the street she lived on in 1948.
"There is an old Korean lady who still lives there. I`m going to call upon her. I want to walk the street with my childhood memories," she said.
(insider@heraldcorp.com)

By Lee Ho-joon