[Namsan Ddalkkakbari] Unknown Independence Fighter, We Will Not Forget

[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] When you hear 'Lee Jae-myung,' ten out of ten people would think of Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung. However, not many know about the independence activist Lee Jae-myung. He was a figure who was executed by hanging at the young age of twenty-three after failing to assassinate the traitor Lee Wan-yong.

In October 1909, upon hearing the news that Ito Hirobumi was assassinated by independence activist An Jung-geun, Lee thought it was now Lee Wan-yong's turn and decided to take action. Learning that Lee Wan-yong would attend a memorial service for Belgian Emperor Leopold II at Jonghyeon Catholic Church (now Myeongdong Cathedral), Lee disguised himself as a roasted chestnut vendor and waited. After the mass ended and the congregation poured out, Lee spotted Lee Wan-yong. He rushed at him with a dagger, striking Lee's waist first. As the startled Lee tried to flee, Lee stabbed him three more times. Blood was everywhere around them.

Believing his mission accomplished, Lee shouted "Long live!" At that moment, he was stabbed in the thigh and arrested by Japanese police and Koreans who were Lee Wan-yong's bodyguards. Lee was sentenced to death by hanging immediately after the incident. When asked if he had accomplices, he replied, "What accomplices are needed for such a great deed?" and said, "If there are accomplices, all 20 million of our compatriots are my accomplices." In his final defense, he laughed heartily, saying, "How could there be any lengthy defense for someone who sacrifices their life for the country?"

Lee Wan-yong fell into a coma due to excessive bleeding but survived thanks to surgery by Japan's top surgeon. After months of recuperation, he returned to his position as Prime Minister and signed the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty with Terauchi Masatake, the Japanese Resident-General of Korea. Lee Wan-yong was granted the title of Count by the Japanese Empire and lived in luxury until his death at age 68 in 1926. However, in his later years, he suffered from phlegm and asthma. The cause of death was complications from lung damage caused by the wounds inflicted by Lee Jae-myung's dagger.

Another lesser-known independence activist is Kim Gu-eung, a key figure in the March 1st Movement protest at Aunae Market in Cheonan, Chungnam, in 1919. As a teacher, he meticulously planned the Aunae Market Manse Movement through his extensive community connections. While Yu Gwan-sun played an important role in communication and lighting signal fires, Kim Gu-eung was the leader who devised the overall plan.

On the morning of April 1, the designated day of the uprising coinciding with Aunae Market day, about 3,000 people disguised as market vendors gathered, drawn by the torchlight from the previous night. The crowd gradually swelled, exceeding 6,000 by 1 p.m. Kim Gu-eung unfolded a scroll of the Declaration of Independence and read it aloud, while Yu Gwan-sun led the chant of "Daehan Doknip Manse" (Long live Korean independence).

The Manse Movement was extremely peaceful, but Japanese military police arrived in trucks. Kim Gu-eung rolled up the Declaration of Independence and stood at the front of the procession. The Japanese military police shot Kim Gu-eung, knocking him down, then crushed his head with bayonets and shot him again in the head. Kim Gu-eung, aged 32 at the time, died instantly on the spot.

Lee Jae-myung, Failed Assassination of Lee Wan-yong and Execution by Hanging... Kim Gu-eung, Leader of Aunae Market Manse Movement
20 Independence Fighters Little Known Due to Ideological and Political Reasons Amid North-South Division
Gratitude and Regret Toward Them... Vividly Portraying Even the Lives of Their Descendants

'The Independence Fighters We Abandoned' is a book filled with gratitude and regret for the many independence activists who sacrificed for the nation's independence but remain little known. It painstakingly traces the descendants of these unknown fighters and their lives. It also discusses the political, ideological, and practical reasons why they have not been properly recognized.

The book mentions many independence activists such as Park Yong-man, who trained independence fighters at a military school established in the United States; Kim Kyung-cheon, a former Japanese army officer who led partisan units in the Maritime Province; Kim Dong-sam and Oh Dong-jin, considered among the three great generals of the Manchurian independence army alongside Kim Jwa-jin; and Ahn Hee-je, who served as a financial backer for the Shanghai Provisional Government.

Why were they forgotten? The author points primarily to ideological issues. The division of Korea after liberation split evaluations of independence activists. Until the 2000s, mentioning socialist-aligned independence activists was taboo. Figures like Kim Won-bong or Kim San, the protagonist of Agnes Smedley's novel 'Arirang,' were largely unknown to us before then. Similarly, figures like Yang Se-bung, who cooperated with China, or Kim Kyung-cheon, who worked with Russia, were also neglected.

Aside from ideology, political reasons also led to their obscurity. Park Yong-man, who led independence efforts in the U.S., clashed with Syngman Rhee. Although they once became sworn brothers, they completely severed ties over the direction of the independence movement. This was one reason Park Yong-man's achievements became less known after liberation.

Lack of materials and absence of descendants to promote their achievements are practical reasons as well. Records of independence activists active in North Korea, China, or Russia are especially scarce. If descendants existed, they would have applied for recognition as independence patriots and carried out commemorative projects. However, independence activist families were often scattered and destroyed. Even if descendants exist, many live abroad.

The 20 individuals featured in this book are known to some extent because their deeds were passed down and records remain. Over 15,000 people are registered in the Independence Patriots Merit Records. How many of them are widely known? Moreover, countless independence activists remain unrecognized because their deeds are unknown or because they stayed in North Korea.

Many independence activists operated secretly without leaving any trace. There are countless cases where only a single line about their deeds appears in a thesis or no record exists in any historical documents. How many unknown independence fighters died fighting for their country's independence?

The author's true purpose is not merely to introduce a few more independence activists. It is to remind us that many more independence fighters are buried in the depths of memory. We are grateful to the author for not forgetting and remembering them.

(The Independence Fighters We Abandoned / Written by Son Seong-jin / Gaemagowon / 15,000 KRW)

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