No. of Visitors to Cheonan Victims` Graves Growing

The third grave where the crew of the naval corvette Cheonan are buried at Daejeon National Cemetery has turned into a place for educating and honoring the sacrifice of soldiers.

The cemetery’s management said Sunday, “A combined 630,000 people have visited the grave since April 29, when the 46 seamen of the Cheonan were buried, and the daily average is 4,500 visitors.

“About 90 percent of visitors visiting us asked specifically where the grave area is for the Cheonan victims and that of the late Warrant Officer Han Joo-ho.”

The cemetery has installed nine road signs and indicators showing the location of the graves of the Cheonan victims. Though road signs have shown where presidents, patriots, generals, officers and soldiers are buried, this is the first time for the cemetery to set up a sign for the victims of a single incident.

The graveyard for the Cheonan victims is also used as a tourist site. Around 40 elderly people from Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, visited the site by bus.

The leader of the group, Park Noh-seon, 73, said, “We came here because one of our members wanted to visit the graves of the Cheonan victims after we visited Donghak Temple on Mount Gyeryong.”

Kim Chun-wan, 76, touched the tombs, saying, “How deplorable it is to see my grandson-like soldiers dead and buried here.”

doyoce@donga.com