Portrait: AI-generated imagined likeness
Political activist
Korean independence activist. In 1909, he assassinated Hirobumi Ito in Harbin, and while in prison he conceived the idea of Oriental Peace. He is a person who reads the eve of Japan's annexation of Korea and the East Asian order.
View in catalogHaeju
Birth
Harbin
1909
Work
Lushun
1910
Death
On Peace in East Asia
1910
Essay
Assassination of Ito Hirobumi in Harbin
1909
Political event · Participant
Korean independence movement
1905–1910
Movement · Participant
Map: Natural Earth (PD)
Born in Haeju, Hwanghae-do, he experienced the changes from the end of the Joseon Dynasty to the period of the Korean Empire. As Japan became a protectorate after the Russo-Japanese War, he became involved in the volunteer movement and independence movement.
In 1909, he shot Hirobumi Ito at Harbin Station and was tried and executed in Port Arthur. While in prison, he wrote about his vision for peace through cooperation among Japan, China, and Korea, and left behind a statement that went beyond mere anti-Japanese sentiment.
Ahn Jung-geun is also known for leaving handprints and calligraphy with his cut fingers. In South Korea, he is remembered as a righteous man of the independence movement, and in Japan, the evaluation of the incident has become a point of contention in historical understanding.
Studying Ahn Jung-geun reveals that the process leading up to the annexation of Korea involved not only diplomatic treaties, but also issues surrounding resistance movements, imperialism, and the concept of peace in East Asia. He is an important figure in modern Japanese and Korean history. It can also be used for comparison with surrounding areas from the same era.
