The Untold Story: Ahn Jung-geun on Peace in East Asia

Harbin was the starting point of Chinese Eastern Railway. There was an unexpected event that had taken place at the platform 1 of the Harbin Railway Station.

There are two patterns laid on the ground. They mark a great historic event.

October 26th 1909, it was four years after the Russia-Japanese War. At 9:25 a.m a train arrived at Harbin railway station platform 1. Russian honor guard and the Japanese police lined up to greet a very important guest. A man in his late 60’s got off the train and slowly passed the honor guard and walked toward consuls from each country and at that moment a man pulled a trigger at him and three bullets hit his chest.

He lying on the ground was ‘Ito Hirobumi.’ He was the head of Japanese council. The man who shot him shouted out ‘Hoorah’ for Korea as he was arrested without any resistance. The man named ‘Ahn Jung-geun’ and he was a Korean.

Ito Hirobumi Ahn Jung-geun

Imperialist powers had various views of the incident. Japanese media mourned the death of the Japanese politician in the hands of a terrorist from Korea. Chinese people highly praised Ahn Jung-geun’s act. A novel called Spirit of A Patriot depicting Ahn Jung-geun was published and later produced as a movie in China. The first president of the Provisional Government of China, Sun Wen, even wrote a poem in his honor. Whose English translation is like this:

Chapter 1: In great concern over the national security

He used FN Browning M 1900 pistol. The bullets that were used had a cross carved in the tip. It is believed that Ahn Jung-geun himself carved the cross to make the arsenal more lethal. Ahn Jung-geun was arrested by the Russian guards at the Harbin railway station but he was handed over to the Japanese consulate. Ahn Jung-geun had been consistent in explaining the reasons for the shooting since his arrest. His argument had placed many people around him in confusion.

Four days after the shooting, October 30^th, Mizaguchi was a prosecutor to first interrogate Ahn Jung-geun.

Mizaguchi: Why do you view Ito Hirobumi as an enemy?

Ahn Jung-geun: There are many reasons why I find him an enemy; 1. Assassinating the Korean Empress Myeong-seong: 2. Dethroning the emperor Gojong: 3. Forcing 14 unequal treaties on Korea: 4. Massacring innocent Koreans: 5. Usurping the authority of the Koreans government by force: 6. Plundering Korean railroad, mines, forests and rivers: 7. Forcing the use of Japanese banknote: 8. Disbanding the Korean armed forces: 9. Obstructing the education of Koreans: 10. Banning Koreans from studying abroad: 11. Confiscation and burning of Korean textbooks: 12. Spreading a rumor around the world that the Korean wanted Japanese at protection: 13. 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: 14. Breaking the peace of East Asia: 15. Assassinating Japanese emperor Komei.

Ahn Jung Geun enlisted 15 reasons for his act of revolt. Ahn Jung-geun said that he had killed Ito Hirobumi for peace in East Asia. Ito Hirobumi thought of himself as the protector of peace of Asia. But in reality Ito Hirobumi was not working for peace but working for the imperialism of Japan.

Chapter:2 A person with a noble reason is not afraid to give up one’s life to do the right thing.

Seven days after Ahn Jung-geun’s arrest, he was sent to the Lushun Prison. Lushun Prison was a territory in China but it was actually under the control of Japan. On February 7th 1910, many people gathered to watch the first hearing at the higher court in Lushun. He was asked: are you considering to kill yourself after murdering prince Ito Hirobumi? Ahn Jung-geun: I am for Korea’s independence and peace in Asia. I have not realized my goal so I wasn’t planning to kill myself after Ito Hirobumi’s death. The audience began to know him as a soldier Ahn Jung-geun, not as a terrorist. Who else could he be?

Ahn was born in 1879 in Haeju, Korea. His father (Ahn Tae-hun) was an aristocrat and a supporter of modernization and his mother also became an independence activist. Ahn Jung-geun was angered by Japanese attitude after the Russo-Japanese war and moved to China in 1906. He devoted himself to educate Korean people for the recovery of national power and started some school. In 1909 Ahn Jung-geun cut off the upper joint of his ring finger and wrote a pledge with his blood “Korea’s independence.” They had pledged to devote their lives to fight for the independence of their home country.

Chapter: 3 unless reading everyday thorns grow in the mouth

Ahn Jung Geun’s battle continued at his trail. He wanted to tell the world the lies Japan was telling. It was his only chance to show how wrong Japan was when the world was paying attention to him. Japan had the judgement already in its mind. Imperial Japan just wanted to show the world that the court trial had gone through the due process and everything was done fairly. The trial was like a constructed play. Ahn Jung-geun protested.

Ahn Jung-geun: “This court is organized of only the Japanese judge, lawyer and the translator, anyone can tell this trial is one sided. I did it for the independence of my country so I should be tried under the international law.”

The Japanese and the judge would not allow lawyers from Korea or England for his defense. Ahn Jung-geun said, “For the last time I wish to say I want nothing more than Korea’s independence.”

On February 14th 1910, Ahn was given a death sentence. he was fighting alone in the world and it was nearing his end. Ahn Jung-geun’s dignified attitude had surprised the foreign press. On April 1910, a British weekly illustrated newspaper The Graphic ran articles on the trial of Ahn Jung-geun. There was about 40 days left, however his duty was not completed. He concentrated on writing books while he was confined in the jail. He wrote an autobiography History of Ahn Eung-chil (his name in young age) and one essay on peace in Asia, but his books were left unfinished.

There is a historic temple in Japan. On the first Sunday of September every year, the head monk holds a memorial service for Ahn Jung-geun. It may be hard to believe that there is a temple in Japan remembering on the killer of Ito Hirobumi but they have been doing so far nearly 30 years. People who gathered here deeply regret Japan’s imperialism. Ahn Jung-geun wrote on his last work of calligraphy, “A soldier must not be afraid to give up life for the good of the country.” Ahn left some 200 works of calligraphy while he was in prison.

Before the execution Ahn Jung-geun’s younger brother came to visit him. They delivered a letter from his mother. She wished for her son to rest in peace on the faded day. Ahn took off the prison uniform and changed into a white hanbok that his mother made for him. He showed no fear when he faded his death at an early age of 31 on March 26, 1910.

His two younger brothers Ahn Jung-geun in a hanbok

It has been more than hundred years since Ahn Jung-geun has passed away. His wish came true and Korea gained its independence. Ahn Jung-geun’s family wanted to get the body after the execution but Japan never answered to the request. The Japanese government wanted him to only be known as a terrorist. 104 years after Ahn Jung-geun’s death, on January 19th 2014, China opened the memorial hall for Ahn Jung-geun at Harbin railway station.

Ahn Jung-geun’s memorial hall in China

The keeper of peace can never go to rest until the peace can be achieved. Ideas and spirit of Ahn Jung-geun will live forever. People say that he passed away but I say that he is still alive in every patriot’s heart because “Legends never die.”