Part 1. Ahn Joong-geun and why is he important for both North and South Korea and China
If we unite we success, if we scatter, we lose. This is the eternal principle. (Ahn Joong-geun`s memorial hall motto)
As any enthusiastic international reporter for the Ministry of Unification I had high expectations for my trip to China. Our six day leader camp in the northern part of China (Manchuria) was for sure one of the best experiences, and exceeded my expectations. You would be curious why.
First of all, since I was in Romania I was interested in the history of the Korean peninsula, and dynasties as Goguryeo seemed to me very mysterious and worthy of being studied. Also, being a student of international studies, I learned about Japanese crimes in Manchuria against Chinese, Koreans, Mongols etc and I really hoped that one day I will be able to visit, in person, all the places I have heard about in books.
Visiting Manchuria and different historical places such as Jumong s place of birth (the mountain that is said to be the place where Jumong, the builder of Goguryeo Dynasty, was born) or visiting 731 unit where the Japanese conducted experiments on humans was a unique experience for me that changed my perspective. Learning from books seems like nothing compared to reality.
Besides this, there was another thing that really impressed me. As Churchill said, “A nation that forgets its past has no future”... One more time I could see that Koreans do not forget their history, and more than that they pay a lot of respect to it, commemorating their ancestors and being thankful to their heroes. In China I learned about Ahn Joong-geun and Yoon Dong-ju. The first one was an independence activist, and the second one was a young poet who resisted Japanese occupation through his poems.
Ahn Jung-geun`s actions really caught my attention and made me want to get to know more about him. So when I came back to Korea, I started searching for more information about him. I watched the movie Thomas Ahn Jung Geun and I went to visit his memorial hall located near Namsan park. I was very surprised to see how many people visited that museum and more than that how well organized and impressive Ahn`s memorial hall is. So, today I am going to talk about Ahn Jung-geun and his devoted life to the Korean independence movement.
The second day of our trip to China was dedicated to visiting Ahn`s prison and the judging court that are situated in Dalian. Actually Dalian was our first stop in China and I got the chance to visit the prison known under the name of Lushun where Ahn spend the last 114 days of life imprisoned.
Who was Ahn Jung-geun? Was he a hero, a martyr, a terrorist or a criminal? History is always subjective... For Chinese and Koreans, he is a hero while for some Japanese he is just a criminal.
Ahn Jung-geun was born in 1879 in Haeju (today this city is North Korean territory). Ahn came from an educated family that gave up Confucianism and embraced Catholicism while fighting for Joseon's modernization. He is known also as Thomas, his Christian name
Ahn' s biggest dream was to see a united Asia with China, Japan and Joseon (Korea) holding hands. His Pan Asian views were in contradiction to the Japanese government that dreamed of leading an Asian empire.
What I find interesting is that Ahn`s vision of a united east Asia are similar to European Union principles. He wanted that China, Korea and Japan to have a unified currency as today some European countries do.
He is one of the most respected activists that fought for Korean independence. During Japanese occupation he led a Korean resistance group that attacked the Japanese army several times. He is famous because he killed Ito Hirobumi (the first Resident-General of colonial Korea and first Prime Minister of Japan) in Harbin, China while screaming Independence for Korea. On 26th October 1909 at the Harbin railway platform, Ito Hirobumi was killed by Ahn Jung-geun with 3 bullets while screaming, “Ura Korea, Ura Korea.”
The death of Ito became a big issue as he was known as the father of modernization in Japan. People blamed Ahn for his act saying that he made a big mistake and it will adversely affect the situation of Joseon (Korean peninsula's name back then). However, on the other hand in China, Ahn was praised. The Chinese believed that his act was one of a revolutionist.
During his arrest Ahn Jung-geun motivated his act:
And he explained why he killed Ito:
"1. Ito ordered the murder of the Korean Empress Myeongseong
2. Dethroning the last emperor of Joseon, Gojong
3. Killing korean citizens
4. Implementing 14 unequal treaties on Korea
5. Forcing the use of Japanese backnotes
6. Banning Koreans from studying abroad and obstructing their education
7. Breaking the peace in Asia"
His action was punished by Russian authorities that sent him to Japanese officers. When he was captured he did not resist and he said, “I have ventured to commit a serious crime, offering my life for my country. This is the behavior of a noble minded patriot… I felt the duty to sacrifice myself and achieve something good for our people.”
From Harbin, Ahn was moved to Lushun Prison, situated in Dalian, which back then was actually under the control of Japan.
Lushun prison could incarcerate 2000 people and I could tell that it was a dark place where soldiers were torturing their prisoners. Most of the prisoners were Koreans and Chinese that were anti-Japanese activists.
After we visited the prison where Ahn spent his last moments of life, we moved to the Japanese Higher Court in Lushun, Dalian (China) were he was judged by Japanese officials. Even though Ahn Jung-geun asked to be judged under international law, his destiny was already decided by Japanese authorities: death. He was executed by the Japanese.
He changed into a white hanbok made by his mother and went to face his death at only 31 years old. His remains are still in Lushun even though he asked to be moved to Korea when it regained its independence. His wish came true...the Korean peninsula is an independent territory, but a divided one...
However, Ahn’s actions and bravery inspired not only Koreans but also Chinese. That is why one can find a special museum in Harbin dedicated to Ahn`s life. We visited Ahn’s small memorial hall and I was impressed that both Chinese and Koreans pay respect to him and try to make his memory unforgettable. The memorial hall opened in Harbin in 2014 showing Ahn childhood photos, his life in Manchuria, his calligraphy etc.
However, this memorial hall raised tension between Japan on one hand and Korea and China one the other hand. Even though more than 100 years passed since Ahn’s death, both China and South Korea still remember Ahn’s bravery.
Did you know that even some of the Japanese people respect him and in Dairinji temple every year in September the monks hold a memorial service commemorating Ahn Jung-geun, and asking for forgiveness for what the Japanese did during the days of imperialism? It is quite impressive.
If you think only South Korea respects Ahn and praises him, then you are wrong. In North Korea, the movie Ah Jung Gun Shoots Ito Hirobumi was dedicated to Ahn. However, because it is propaganda in North Korea, Kim Il Sung is more praised by being an active guerrilla that fought to gain independence from the Japanese than Ahn.
The lesson I have learned is that we owe our present to heroes that fought and sacrificed their lives in order to make a better future for us and their countries. The second thing that I realized is that Koreans never gave up on unification. Korean gouvernment informs young students that both the south and the north share the same history. Even though Japanese colonialism was a sad page of Korean history back then, there was no south or north, only Koreans who fought for a sovereign country and a better future.
If I hadn’t participated in this camp, for sure I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to find out about one of Korea`s most praised heroes, Ahn Jung-geun and Yoon Dong-ju. Why did I feel such respect for them? Being imprisoned at such a young age for the independence movement is an important decision and takes courage. Both Ahn and Yoon gave up their lives and chose to dedicate themselves to their country.
“I have done it with my death already in mind so I have no regrets, when I hear the words of my country's independence I would be singing and dancing in heaven...”
Sources:
Arirang Documentary,
Ahn Choong-Keun, The Great Patriotic Martyr of Korea, The Association of Commemorating Martyr Ahn Choong Keun.
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu