Aegibong: A bull that became an enduring symbol of inter-Korean peace has been laid to rest on a hill near the South Korean border, 20 years after its death. The bull, which drifted south from North Korea during a devastating flood in 1996, has finally been moved to an exhibition hall in Aegibong Peace Ecopark, located just 1.4 kilometers from North Korea's Kaepung County.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Gimpo Cultural Foundation orchestrated the relocation of the bull's remains. Kang Kyung-ku, the former mayor of Gimpo, expressed satisfaction over the successful move, stating that efforts had long been underway to relocate the remains to Aegibong, so the "bull of peace" could overlook its homeland once more.
The bull was initially found on Yudo, an uninhabited island within neutral waters between North and South Korea, in July 1996. South Korean Marines, following authorization from the U.N. Command overseeing the Korean War armistice, rescued the animal in January of the following year. The bull had suffered a broken ankle from a landmine but made a full recovery.
In an event symbolizing reconciliation, the bull was ceremoniously "married" to a cow from Jeju Island in 1998, with the pair producing seven offspring before the bull's natural death in 2006 at the age of 16. Its story continues to resonate as a unique testament to peace and survival amidst geopolitical tensions.