Kang Woo-kyu

Kang Woo-kyu
강우규
Born	(1855-04-20)April 20, 1855 Deokcheon, Pyeongan Province, Joseon
Died	November 29, 1920(1920-11-29) (aged 65) Seodaemun Prison, Keijō, Keiki-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan
Cause of death	Execution by hanging
Resting place	First buried at a cemetery in Sinsa-dong, Eunpyeong-gu Moved to Suyu-ri in 1954 Moved to the Seoul National Cemetery in 1967

Kang Woo Kyu (Korean: 강우규; Hanja: 姜宇奎, April 20, 1855 – November 29, 1920) was a doctor of Korean medicine and a fighter for Korean independence during the Japanese colonial period. In 1919, Kang tried to assassinate Saitō Makoto, who was serving as the Governor-General of Korea, but failed.

Life and career

Early life and educational activities

Kang was born in Deokcheon, Pyeongan Province, in the Kingdom of Great Joseon. He spent his childhood in Jinju and Miryang, both in Gyeongsang Province.^[1]

Kang studied Korean medicine from a young age after returning home to Deokcheon in Pyeongan Province. In 1884, he moved to Hongwon, Hamkyong Province, where he served as a Korean medicine doctor while teaching children Neo-Confucianism. He reportedly fled there as his personal security was jeopardized because he was involved in Korean patriotic movements.^[2] Kang reportedly went to Hongwon with a large sum of money, and engaged in commerce there.^[3] He ran a general merchandise store with his son Jung Geon on Nammun Street in the center of Hongwon. The store mainly sold paint, cigarettes, and cotton thread. At the same time, he lent traders money at low interest.^[3]

Exile

Following the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905, and the annexation of Korea and its colonial rule by Japan following the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910, Kang was deeply angered. At the time, he was a middle-aged man over 50.^[4] In the fall of 1910, Kang decided to seek asylum and moved members of his family to Khabarovsk.^[3] He himself left Hongwon and went into exile in Dudogu, northern Gando (Jiandao), Manchuria, in the spring of 1911,^[5] where he ran a herbal medicine shop.^[6]

In 1915, he moved to Yo-dong in Liaohe County, Jilin, and traveled to and from Vladivostok to work for independence. He reclaimed farmland around Yoha to build Shinheungchon, a Korean village. The village later became the main base for independence forces operating in Siberia and North Manchuria.^[7]

In 1917, Kang founded Gwandong Middle School in Tonghua County, Jilin Province, Northeast China. He worked hard to promote the spirit of independence by educating his fellow countrymen. As a Christian Presbyterian, he worked in the school of the church, using his position to promote anti-Japanese sentiment among students and Koreans living nearby.^[8] Kang condemned Japanese war crimes when teaching the students. He occasionally gathered villagers in the school auditorium to promote national consciousness.^[9]

In the March 1st Movement in 1919, Kang gathered students and their compatriots at Gwandong School. He organized the independence movement with a focus on Yeohyeon. Kang did not believe that a simple independence movement would lead to the independence of his country, so he went to Vladivostok, where Lee Dong-hwi was active. He served as chief of Yo Ha-yeon's branch in the Senior Citizen's Association with Lee Seung-kyo, Lee Dong-hwi's father.^[10]

Infiltration into Korea, attempted assassination

In 1919, Kang handed over Gwandong Middle School and Shinheungchon village to a Korean American before sneaking back into Japanese-occupied Korea. He bought a grenade from a Russian and infiltrated into Keijō (as Seoul was then called), via Wonsan, with Huh Hyung. He hid the grenade from Japanese police by wearing it between his legs in a diaper.^[11][10]

On September 2, 1919, due to internal and external strife, Japanese admiral Saitō Makoto had been appointed to replace Hasegawa Yoshimichi as the governor-general. On the day Saitō arrived Korea, Kang attempted to assassinate Saitō by throwing a bomb at him.^[12][13] The explosion missed Saito but injured several onlookers.^[14] The El Paso Herald reported that twenty were injured including an American, a relative of former Chicago Mayor Carter Harrison Sr., who coincidentally had been assassinated in 1893.^[15] After the failed assassination attempt, Kang went into hiding. According to Oh Tae-young, Kang hid in Jang Ik-kyu and Lim Seung-hwa's house. He was later caught by Kim Tae-seok and jailed on September 17. Five others were also arrested in connection to the bomb attack.^[16]

Death

Kang was sentenced to death for attempted murder and a charge of civilian casualties. Even after his death sentence was confirmed, Kang read the Bible every day, prayed in the morning and evening, and waited for his last day with a relaxed mind.^[10] While in prison, Kang told his sons: "Don't do anything about my death. I feel rather ashamed that I have done nothing for my country all my life. It is the education of our young people that I cannot forget even when I'm sleeping. If my death give a little impetus to the minds of the young people, that's what I wish for."^[10] Informally, he told them to spread his will to schools and churches across the country.^[11]

Kang was hanged on November 29, 1920.^[10][11] He never renounced his beliefs and was defiant until his death.^[17] After the attack the Japanese increased the Korean police presence in the region from 12,000 to 20,000 members.^[16]

After death

The Kang Woo-kyu Statue is in front of the Seoul Station, where he threw a bomb at Saitō Makoto.

Kang's remains were first buried at a cemetery in Sinsa-dong, Eunpyeong-gu. They were later moved to Suyu-ri, Jindo in 1954 and to the Seoul National Cemetery in 1967.^[18] In March 1962, Kang was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation.

A Chinese poem written in Kang's will just before his execution at Seodaemun Prison was preserved in the Independence Hall of Korea.^[19]

斷頭臺上 猶在春風 有身無國 豈無感想

I am on the guillotine, as if I were amidst the spring breeze. I have a body but no country; how can I not have feelings?[19]

Legacy

"I don't feel bad about it, If you change your stance, Kang Woo-kyu was predominant." said Chiba, the police chief in Gyeonggi Province.^[20]

Kang Woo-kyu was the first violent resister against Japanese occupation after the March 1st Movement. It was a great warning to Saitō and also contributed greatly to promoting awareness among Koreans at home and abroad. By holding steadfast in the face of injustice, life in prison, and execution, Kang inspired Koreans who were still involved in the independence movement.^[21] There is a statue of Kang Woo-kyu at Seoul Station Plaza.^[22]

References

1. 독립운동사자료집 11 [Independent Movement History sourcebook (Korea) 11]. Korea: 독립유공자사업기금운용위원회. 1983. p. 79.
2. 한국근대인물백인선 [Korea modern times selecting hundred people]. 신동아부록. 1979. p. 67.
3. 강, 영재 (1969). 신동아 (1969년 5월호) [News DongAh]. The Dong-a Ilbo. p. 182.
4. 박환(2008), 강우규의 의열투쟁과 독립사상 [Kang Woo-kyu's Struggle and the Idea of becoming Korea independence], 한국민족사연구, ISSN 1226-9980, p. 123
5. 강, 영재 (1969). 신동아(1969년 5월호) [News DongAh]. The Dong-a Ilbo. p. 185.
6. 윤, 병석 (1993). 한국독립운동사자료집 [List Of Korean Independence Fighter]. 한국정신문화연구원. pp. 79–80. ISBN 9788971050712.
7. 강, 영재 (1969). 신동아(1969년 5월호) [News DongAh]. The Dong-a Ilbo. p. 186.
8. 독립운동가자료집 11 [Independent Movement History sourcebook (Korea) 11]. 독립유공자사업기금운용위원회. 1983. p. 80.
9. 강, 영재 (1969). 신동아(1969년 5월호) [News DongAh]. 강영재. p. 187.
10. Oh, Hyunyoung (November 16, 2016). "[역사 속 숨은 영웅] 日총독에 폭탄 던진 '65세의 백발 투사' 강우규(姜宇奎)". Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved October 8, 2019.
11. "강우규". terms.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved May 29, 2019.
12. Tae, Hung Ha (1968). Guide to Korean culture. Seoul, South Korea: Yonsei University Press. ISBN 9788971411957. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
13. Lee, Jun-sam (September 2, 2019). "'조선총독에 폭탄투척' 강우규 의사 의거 100주년 맞아". Yonhap. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
14. 윤, 상택 (2001). 윤치호 일기 [Diary of Yoon Chi-ho]. 역사비평사. p. 131. ISBN 9788976962492.
15. "Bomb Thrown At Governor In Korea Injures American". El Paso Herald. El Paso, Texas: Herald News Co. September 3, 1919. p. 1. ISSN 2159-5623. OCLC 18614885. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
16. "Japanese Increase Police Presence". The Daily Alaska Citizen. Fairbanks, Alaska: J.H. Caskey. September 28, 1919. p. 1. ISSN 2641-4783. OCLC 34775146. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
17. "강우규". terms.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved May 29, 2019.
18. "한국역대인물 종합정보시스템". Archived from the original on January 3, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
19. 독립기념관 시어록비 - 강우규 Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
20. 총독부 증언록 "독립 운동 경외스러웠다." [./https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/SBS_%EB%89%B4%EC%8A%A4 Archived 2019-07-02 at the Wayback Machine SBS 뉴스] 2004-08-12
21. 박환(2008), 강우규의 의열투쟁과 독립사상 [Kang Woo-kyu's Struggle and the Idea of Korea becoming independent], 한국민족사연구, ISSN 1226-9980, p. 117
22. Lee, Suh-yoon (February 20, 2019). "Marking independence fighters - either leaders or grassroots". The Korea Times. Retrieved August 19, 2019.