Pukgwan is the then name of Hamgyong Province in the period of the feudal Joson dynasty (1392-1910) (the area covering today's South and North Hamgyong provinces, Ryanggang Province and some northern parts of Kangwon Province).

The inscription written on the monument consists of a preface and a text.

The preface reads that the struggle of the volunteer army was not inferior to the Ri Sun Sin-led sea battle around Hansan Islet, the Kwon Ryul-led battle of the Haengjusan Castle?and Ri Jong Am-led battle of the Yonan Castle. It says about the aim and direction of enemy's aggression and tells the circumstances of erecting the monument, noting that the patriotic people of Hamgyong Province formed the Jong Mun Bu-led volunteer army to punish traitors and defeat the Japanese enemies.

The text says that the volunteers turned out in bold fight against the enemies and thus restored the Pukgwan area and recovered the people' peaceable life.

The Japanese imperialists, under the sinister aim to plunder the Korean nation's precious historical relics, deprive of the Korean people's patriotism and obliterate their antipathy against Japan, committed intolerable crime of stealing the monument.

The monument returned to its original place 100 years after then.

Chairman Kim Jong Il said in May Juche 97 (2008) that the monument is of significance in studying the history of our ancestors' brave struggle against the Japanese invasion and in educating our people in the Korean nation-first idea.

The monument has been kept as the one to the victory telling the struggle of the Korean people against the Japanese invasion and a witness informing the world of Japanese imperialists’ crime.