Significantly Reduced Memorial Ceremony for An Jung-geun

Three days before the 74th Liberation Day, on the 12th, the statue of Independence Activist Ahn Jung-geun stands firmly in Namsan Park, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] This year, the 110th anniversary memorial ceremony for the martyrdom of An Jung-geun was scaled down to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

On the 25th, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced that the 110th anniversary memorial ceremony for An Jung-geun will be held at 10 a.m. on the 26th in front of the statue of An Jung-geun on Namsan, Seoul, but only family members and members of the An Jung-geun Memorial Association will attend without inviting external guests. The ceremony will proceed in the order of the national ceremony, reading of An’s last will, memorial address, and flower offering.

The memorial ceremony is organized by the An Jung-geun Memorial Association (President Kim Hwang-sik). The organizers had planned to hold the event at the auditorium of the An Jung-geun Memorial Hall, inviting about 300 people including government representatives, domestic and international officials, and citizens to mark the 110th anniversary of An’s martyrdom, but the plan was changed due to COVID-19.

Instead of holding a large-scale ceremony, the Memorial Association plans to produce a video reflecting the significance of the 110th anniversary of An’s martyrdom and post it on the internet homepage.

It is also reported that the local memorial event was canceled as the 'An Jung-geun Memorial Hall' in Harbin, China, closed due to the COVID-19 situation.

The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has requested cooperation from the Chinese government for the excavation of An Jung-geun’s remains and continues consultations with related ministries for joint excavation efforts between South and North Korea. The 'An Jung-geun Remains Excavation Promotion Team' has been striving to locate the remains through expert advice and local investigations up to recently.

An Jung-geun, born in September 1879 in Haeju, Hwanghae Province, crossed over to Shanghai, China after the Eulsa Treaty in 1905 to seek ways to restore national sovereignty, then returned to Korea. He devoted his personal funds to establish Samheung School and Donui School to nurture talented individuals.

When the country fell into a colonial state with Emperor Gojong’s abdication and the disbandment of the army, he went abroad again and, together with Lee Beom-yoon and others, raised a righteous army. In 1908, he became a commander of the righteous army and led the forces into Hamgyeongbuk-do, engaging in anti-Japanese resistance in places such as Gyeongheung and Hoeryong. Later, he traveled between Vladivostok, Russia, and the Maritime Province with comrades to seek ways to save the country. In the spring of 1909, he formed the 'Danjidongmaeng' (Finger Alliance) by cutting fingers with comrades Kim Gi-ryong, Jo Eung-sun, and Hwang Byeong-gil.

In September 1909, upon hearing that Ito Hirobumi, the mastermind of Japanese aggression, was coming to Harbin, he planned an assassination with Woo Deok-soon and others. On the day of the incident, October 26, around 9 a.m., at Harbin Station, An shot three bullets at Ito, who was walking toward the place where consuls from various countries were lined up, receiving salutes from Russian soldiers, and all three shots hit their target.

When Russian military police tried to arrest him, he shouted loudly three times, "Korea Ura" (Long live Korea).

In November 1909, An was transferred from the Russian military police to a Japanese prison in L?shun, where he was interrogated and tried. Even during the trial, he denounced Japan’s unjust aggression and demanded reform. Advocating for the complete independence of his homeland and the establishment of peace in East Asia, An was sentenced to death on February 14, 1910, and martyred on March 26.

The government posthumously awarded An Jung-geun the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Republic of Korea Medal, in 1962 in recognition of his contributions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.