A bull that drifted south from North Korea during a 1996 flood and became a symbol of inter-Korean peace has been laid to rest on a border hill overlooking its homeland nearly 30 years later. The animal's remains were relocated to an exhibition hall in Aegibong Peace Ecopark, just 1.4 kilometers from North Korea's Kaepung county. A memorial ritual preceded the relocation on November 27.
In July 1996, a bull that drifted south from North Korea amid a deadly flood sweeping central parts of the Korean Peninsula was first discovered on the uninhabited island of Yudo in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province. South Korean Marines rescued the animal in January 1997, following authorization by the U.N. Command overseeing the 1950-53 Korean War armistice. The bull had suffered a broken ankle after stepping on a mine in the heavily fortified border but recovered after treatment.
In 1998, the bull was paired with a cow from Jeju Island in a wedding ceremony, and the couple produced seven offspring. It died of natural causes in 2006 at the presumed age of 16. Since then, its descendants spanning eight generations have been raised on farms across South Korea, including in Jeju and Incheon.
The bull's remains, previously stored in a Gimpo culture center, were relocated on Saturday to an exhibition hall in Aegibong Peace Ecopark on Aegibong hill, just 1.4 kilometers from North Korea's border county of Kaepung. The site, where fierce fighting occurred during the Korean War, now offers public access, with the island of discovery visible from the hall.
A memorial ritual took place near Aegibong on Thursday, November 27, led by the Tongjin Dure Nori Association, to wish for peace on the peninsula. Kang Kyung-ku, a former mayor of Gimpo, said, "(We) had long pushed for the relocation of the remains to Aegibong so that the bull of peace could see its homeland." He added, "We were able to do so after space finally opened up." Kang further hoped, "Although the bull of peace, considered a symbol of the pain of division as well as peace, did not see the unification (of the Koreas), I hope it becomes a big star above Aegibong and a messenger of peace."
The relocation underscores the bull's enduring role as a symbol of inter-Korean peace amid ongoing division.