An Jung-geun | |
|---|---|
 Anc. 1910 | |
| Born | (1879-09-02)2 September 1879 |
| Died | 26 March 1910(1910-03-26) (aged 30) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Known for | Assassination ofItō Hirobumi in 1909 |
| Parents | |
| Awards | Order of Merit for National Foundation (Posthumously) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 안중근 |
| Hanja | 安重根 |
| RR | An Junggeun |
| MR | An Chunggŭn |
| IPA | [ɐndʑuŋɡɯn] |
An Jung-geun (Korean: 안중근; 2 September 1879 – 26 March 1910) was aKorean independence activist.[1] He is remembered as amartyr in both South and NorthKorea for his 1909 assassination of the Japanese politicianItō Hirobumi, who had previously served as the firstprime minister of Japan andJapanese Resident-General of Korea. An was imprisoned and later executed by Japanese authorities on 26 March 1910.
He was posthumously awarded theOrder of Merit for National Foundation in 1962 by the South Korean government, the most prestigious civil decoration in the Republic of Korea, for his efforts for Korean independence.[2]
An was born on 2 September 1879, inHaeju,Hwanghae Province,Joseon. He was the first son ofAn Taehun [ko] andJo Maria [ko], of theSunheung An clan (순흥 안씨;順興 安氏). Ahn is the 26th great-grandson ofAhn Hyang. His childhood name was An Eungchil (안응칠; 安應七;[ɐnɯŋtɕʰiɭ]). The name originated from seven dots on the chest and stomach, meaning that it was born in accordance with the energy of the Big Dipper.[3] As a boy, he learned Chinese literature and Western sciences, but was more interested in martial arts and marksmanship.Kim Ku, a future leader of theKorean independence movement who had taken refuge in An Tae-hun's house at the time, wrote that young An Jung-geun was an excellent marksman, liked to read books, and had strong charisma.[4]
At the age of 16, An entered theCatholic Church with his father, where he received his baptismal name "Thomas" (토마스),[5][6] and learned French. While fleeing from the Japanese, An took refuge with a French priest of the Catholic Church in Korea named Wilhelm (Korean name, Hong Seok-gu; 홍석구; 洪錫九) who baptized him and hid him in his church for several months. The priest encouraged An to read the Bible and had a series of discussions with him. He maintained his belief in Catholicism until his death, going to the point of even asking his son to become a priest in his last letter to his wife.[7]
At the age of 25, he started a coal business, but devoted himself to the education of Korean people after theEulsa Treaty by establishing private schools in northwestern regions of Korea. He also participated in theNational Debt Repayment Movement. In 1907 he exiled himself toVladivostok to join in with the armed resistance against the Japanese colonial rulers, where he learned fluent Russian. He was appointed alieutenant general of anarmed Korean resistance group and led several attacks against Japanese forces before his eventual defeat.[citation needed]
In October 1909, An passed the Imperial Japanese guards at theHarbin Railway Station. Itō Hirobumi had come back from negotiating with the Russian representative on the train. An shot him three times with anFN M1900 pistol on the railway platform. He also shot Kawagami Toshihiko (川上俊彦), the Japanese Consul General,[8] Morita Jirō (森泰二郞), a Secretary of theImperial Household Agency, and Tanaka Seitarō (田中淸太郞), an executive of theSouth Manchuria Railway, who were seriously injured. After the shooting, An yelled out for Korean independence inRussian, stating "Корея! Ура!" (Korea! Hurrah!), and waving the Korean flag.[citation needed]
Afterwards, An was arrested by Russian guards who held him for two days before turning him over to Japanese colonial authorities. When he heard the news that Itō had died, he made thesign of the cross in gratitude. An was quoted as saying, "I have ventured to commit a serious crime, offering my life for my country. This is the behavior of a noble-minded patriot."[7] Wilhelm gavelast rites to An, ignoring the bishop of Korea's order not to. An insisted that the captors call him by his baptismal name, Thomas.[citation needed]
In court, An claimed to be a lieutenant general of theKorean resistance army and demanded to be treated as a prisoner of war and not a suspected criminal. He insisted he did nothing wrong, reciting a list of 15 execution-worthy offenses he believed Itō had committed.[9] An believed Itō had ordered theassassination of Empress Myeongseong, an order which is attributed toMiura Gorō, although Miura Gorō did send a report to Itō after the execution.[10][11]
"15 reasons whyItō Hirobumi should be killed.
- Assassinating the KoreanEmpress Myeongseong
- Dethroning theEmperor Gojong
- Forcing 14 unequal treaties on Korea
- Massacring innocent Koreans
- Usurping the authority of the Korean government by force
- Plundering Korean railroads, mines, forests, and rivers
- Forcing the use of Japanese banknotes
- Disbanding the Korean armed forces
- Obstructing the education of Koreans
- Banning Koreans from studying abroad
- Confiscating and burning Korean textbooks
- Spreading a rumor around the world that Koreans wanted Japanese protection
- Deceiving the Japanese Emperor by saying that the relationship between Korea and Japan was peaceful when in truth it was full of hostility and conflicts
- Breaking the peace of Asia
- Assassinating theEmperor Kōmei.[12][10]
I, as a lieutenant general of the Korean resistance army, killed the criminal Itō Hirobumi because he disturbed the peace of the Orient and estranged the relationship between Korea and Japan. I hoped that if Korea and Japan be friendlier and are ruled peacefully, they would be a model all throughout the five continents. I did not kill Itō misunderstanding his intentions."
An's Japanese captors showed sympathy to him. He recorded in his autobiography that the public prosecutor, Mizobuchi Takao, exclaimed "From what you have told me, it is clear that you are a righteous man of East Asia. I can't believe a sentence of death will be imposed on a righteous man. There's nothing to worry about." He was also givenNew Year's delicacies and hiscalligraphy was highly admired and requested,[7] later stored in Japan. After six trials, An wassentenced to death by the Japanese colonial court in Ryojun (Port Arthur). An was angered at the sentence, though he expected this outcome.[7] He had hoped to be viewed as aprisoner of war instead of anassassin.[7] On the same day of sentencing at two o'clock in the afternoon, his two brothers Jeong-geun and Gong-geun met with him to deliver their mother's message, "Your death is for the sake of your country, and don't ask for your life in a cowardly manner. Your brave death for justice is final filial regard to your mother."[13]
Judge Hirashi, who presided over An's trial, had promised An that a stay of execution for at least a few months would be granted, butTokyo ordered prompt action. Before his execution, An made a final request: that the wardens help him finish his essay, "On Peace in East Asia". He also receivedKorean white clothes from his mother to die in during his execution. An requested to be executed as a prisoner of war, by firing squad. But instead, it was ordered that he should be hanged as a common criminal. An was executed inRyojun, on 26 March 1910. His grave in Lu Shun has not been found.[14]
During his imprisonment, An was excommunicated by the Catholic church for Ito's assassination, viewed negatively by the church. This excommunication was lifted posthumously in 1993.[15]
An dictated in his will that his body be buried in Harbin Park in China and then relocated to his homeland if Korea achieved independence but his request was not honoured.[16] According to records, he was buried near the prison; the Korean government has not received cooperation from the Japanese government regarding the location of his burial.[17]Hyochang Park in Seoul contains a grassy mound that serves as an honorary grave for An.[18]
Some historians hold that Itō's death resulted in the acceleration of the final stage of the colonization process,[7] but the claim has been disputed by some.[19]
An strongly believed in the union of the three great countries in East Asia,China,Korea, andJapan in order to counter and fight offWestern imperialism, namely, Western countries that controlled parts of Asia, and restore East Asian independence. He followed the progress of Japan during theRusso-Japanese War and claimed that he and his compatriots were delighted at hearing of the defeat of one of the agents of western imperialism, but were disappointed that the war ended beforeRussia was totally subjugated.[citation needed]
According toDonald Keene, author ofEmperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852–1912, An Jung-Geun was an admirer ofEmperor Meiji of Imperial Japan.[7] One of the 15 charges An leveled against Itō was that he had deceived theEmperor of Japan, whom An felt desired peace inEast Asia and Korean independence. An requested that Meiji be informed of his reasons for his execution of Itō in the hopes that if Meiji understood his reasons, the emperor would realize how mistaken Itō's policies were and would rejoice. An also felt sure that most Japanese felt similar hatred for Itō, an opinion he formed from talking with Japanese prisoners in Korea.[7] During An's prison sentence and trial, many Japanese prison guards, lawyers, and even prosecutors were inspired by him.[20]
An felt that with the death of Itō, Japan and Korea could become friends because of the many traditions that they shared. He hoped that this friendship, along with China, would become a model for the world to follow. His thoughts on Pan-Asianism were stated in his essay, "On Peace in East Asia" (東洋平和論; 동양평화론) that he worked on and left unfinished before his execution.[7][21] In this work, An recommends the organization of combined armed forces and the issue of joint banknotes among Korea, Japan, and China. Sasagawa Norikatsu (笹川紀勝), a Professor of Law atMeiji University, highly praises An's idea as an equivalent of theEuropean Union and a concept that preceded the concept of theLeague of Nations by 10 years.[22]
The assassination of Itō by An was praised by Koreans and many Chinese as well, who were struggling against Japanese invasion at the time. Well-known Chinese political leaders such asYuan Shikai,Sun Yat-sen, andLiang Qichao wrote poems acclaiming An.[23]
In the 2010 An Jung-Geun Symposium in Korea, Wada Haruki (和田春樹), an activist who once worked atTokyo University, evaluated An by quoting Itō Yukio (伊藤之雄), a fellow history scholar inKyoto University.[24] In his text published in 2009, Itō Yukio claims that the reign by Itō Hirobumi resulted in strong resistance from Koreans as it was considered the first step for the annexation of Korea due to the cultural differences, and that An is not to be blamed even if he assassinated Itō without understanding Itō's ideology (2009, Itō).[full citation needed]
On 26 March 2010, a nationwide centenary tribute to An was held in South Korea, including a ceremony led by the Prime MinisterChung Un-Chan and tribute concerts.[citation needed]
An's family produced many other Korean independence activists. An's cousinAn Myeong-Geun (안명근;安明根) attempted to assassinateTerauchi Masatake, the first JapaneseGovernor-General of Korea (조선총독;朝鮮總督) who executed theJapan-Korea Annexation Treaty in 1910. He failed, however, and was imprisoned for 15 years; he died in 1926.[citation needed] An's brothers An Jeong-Geun (안정근;安定根) and An Gong-Geun (안공근;安恭根), as well as An's cousin An Gyeong-Geun (안경근;安敬根) and nephew An Woo-Saeng (안우생;安偶生), joined theProvisional Government of the Republic of Korea inShanghai, China, which was led byKim Ku, and fought against Japan. An Chun-Saeng (안춘생;安春生), another nephew of An's, joined theNational Revolutionary Army of China, participated in battles against Japanese forces at Shanghai, and joined theKorean Liberation Army in 1940. Later, he became a lieutenant general of theRepublic of Korea Army and a member of the National Assembly of South Korea.[citation needed]
Meanwhile, An Jung-Geun's youngest son,Ahn Jun-saeng [ko] became a prominent businessman andChinilpa during theJapanese occupation of Korea. He died in 1952 from tuberculosis, with his children immigrating to theUnited States of America after the war.[25]
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An is highly renowned forcalligraphy works. While he was in prison, many prison guards such as Chiba Toshichi (千葉十七) who respected him, made requests to An for calligraphy works.[20]He left many calligraphy works which were written in the jail ofLushun although he hadn't studied calligraphy formally. He would leave on his calligraphy works a signature of "大韓國人" (Great Korean) and a handprint of his left hand, which was missing the last joint of the ring finger, which he had cut off with his comrades in 1909 as a pledge to kill Itō. Some of the works were designated as Treasure No. 569 of the Republic of Korea in 1972.[27] One of his famous works is "一日不讀書口中生荊棘," (일일부독서 구중생형극; Unless one reads every day, thorns grow in the mouth); a variation on a well-known idiom fromDream of the Red Chamber ("Three days without practicing the piano led to my hands being as stiff as thorns"; 「三日不弹，手生荆棘」).[28]
Memorial halls for An were erected inSeoul in 1970 by the South Korean government and in Harbin by the Chinese government in 2006.[29]South Korean PresidentPark Geun-Hye raised the idea of erecting a monument for An while meeting withGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist PartyXi Jinping during a visit to China in June 2013. Thus another memorial hall honoring An Jung-Geun was opened on Sunday, 19 January 2014 in Harbin. The hall, a 200-square meter room, features photos and memorabilia.[30] Annual activities in memorial of An are held in Lüshun, where he was imprisoned and executed.[31]
According to local sources in China dated on 22 March 2017, the An Jung-geun Memorial Hall located at Harbin Railway Station was recently relocated to a Korean art museum in Harbin City amid China's retaliation over South Korea's deployment of the U.S.THAAD antimissile system.[32] The Memorial Hall has since been reopened in the Harbin Railway Station after renovation work.[33]
Historically, the Japanese government has generally deemed An Jung-geun as a terrorist and criminal, while South Korea has upheld An as a national hero. In January 2014,Yoshihide Suga, then a Japanese government spokesperson and later Japanese Prime Minister, described theHarbin memorial hall honoring An in China as "not conducive to building peace and stability" between East Asian countries. China, on the other hand has declared that An was a "famous anti-Japanese high-minded person" while South Korea's foreign ministry stated An was a "highly respected figure."[34]
In February 2017, South Korean police were criticized for using a picture of An in posters put up in the city of Incheon.[35] The poster warned of terrorism, and many South Korean citizens online criticized the police, asking "if it was meant to imply if An was a terrorist". A police officer in theKorea Times apologized and clarified that there was no intention to associate An with terrorism, and all posters were taken down.[36]
In 1959, South Korean filmKing Gojong and martyr An Jung-Geun was the first movie about An Jung-geun, and is a dramatized story about the event.[citation needed] The 1979 North Korean filmAn Jung Gun Shoots Itō Hirobumi is another dramatized story of the event.[37]The 2004 South Korean filmThomas An Jung-geun (토마스 안중근) is another dramatized story of the event.[38] Released on 10 September 2004, it is directed by Seo Se-won. An Jung-Geun is played by actorYu Oh-seong and Itō Hirobumi is played byYoon Joo-sang.
He is represented by the characters Go Ae-shin and Eugene Choi in the 2018 South Korean DramaMr. Sunshine (South Korean TV series).[39]
A Chinese-South Korean co-production,The Age of Heroes, is being planned as aKorean drama for 2019.The Age of Heroes is planned to be 24 episodes long and entirely pre-produced with a budget of 30 billion won. Filming will begin by the end of 2018 with locations in South Korea, China, and North Korea.[40]
A fictionalized explanation of the events is presented in an episode of the fifteenth season ofMurdoch Mysteries, aCanadian murder mystery show. In the episode, entitledPatriot Games, a dead body in a Toronto cellar leads to an explanation of An Jung-geun's assassination plot wherein rogue Russian agents play a part, requiring swift action to prevent the outbreak of a potential world war.[citation needed]
Hero, a 2022 South Korean musical drama film dramatized story about the event, directed byYoon Je-kyoon.
Harbin, a 2024 film directed byWoo Min-ho, starsHyun Bin as An.[41]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Media related toAn Jung-geun at Wikimedia Commons
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