March Independence Activists: 'I Injeong, Song Jaeman, Han Unseok'

Teacher Lee In-jeong

[Asia Economy Military Specialist Reporter Yang Nak-gyu]The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced on the 26th that it has selected Lee In-jeong (1859?1934), Song Jae-man (1891?1951), and Han Un-seok (1884?1950) as the 'Independence Activists of March' in collaboration with the Gwangbokhoe and the Independence Hall of Korea.

The activists were key figures in the April 4 Independence March in Daehoji-myeon and Jeongmi-myeon, Dangjin-si, Chungnam Province, in 1919, where various social classes actively participated against Japanese colonial rule. They led the preparation and execution of the independence movement in cooperation with Confucian scholars who had witnessed King Gojong's state funeral and the March 1 Independence Movement.

Lee In-jeong, then the head of Daehoji-myeon, directed the overall preparation of the march, while Song Jae-man personally visited the village chiefs' homes in eight villages within the township to deliver official documents disguised as road repair notices and informed the villagers about the independence movement.

Han Un-seok, who taught students at Doho-ui School, was requested to compose the national anthem and, on the spot, wrote the anthem and discussed participation plans.

On April 4, Lee In-jeong addressed 400 to 500 people gathered in front of the Daehoji-myeon office, saying, "This gathering is not for road repairs but for the Korean independence movement," and urged, "Let us shout for Korean independence and head toward Cheon Market."

Song Jae-man took out the pre-prepared Taegeukgi (Korean national flag) and distributed printed copies of the national anthem. In the afternoon, Japanese police attempted to seize the Taegeukgi from the people who were about to return home, but the crowd resisted fiercely by throwing stones and assaulting the police.

All three activists were arrested and imprisoned. Under Japanese rule, 3 people died for the cause, 88 were flogged, 65 were not prosecuted, and 39 were sentenced to imprisonment, totaling 199 punished individuals. The government has awarded a total of 124 people who participated in this independence movement with honors as independence patriots up to last year.

Nam Sang-rak (posthumously awarded the Patriotic Medal), who participated in the march, made the Taegeukgi with his wife, and this flag is currently registered as National Registered Cultural Heritage No. 386. To honor their contributions, the government posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Patriotic Medal, to each of the activists in 1990.

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