The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs on Wednesday granted official Korean family registration to 32 independence fighters upon marking the 104th March First Independence Movement Day. 

The 32 Koreans who had fought for Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule had remained stateless after moving overseas before the enactment of the Joseon Civil Codes in 1912 and thus never had a record on Korean public documents.

The move comes after the ministry granted Korean family registration to 167 independence fighters last year, including poet Yoon Dong-ju. 

The ministry plans to continuously exert such efforts for independence fighters whose remains are set to be repatriated around next month.