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Ahn Jung-geun (9/2/1879-3/26/1910) worked as an activist for enlightenment and education for national salvation and as a Korean righteous army leader. But, among all his numerous heroic deeds, what made him shine most brilliantly was his assassination of Ito Hirobumi. This is not merely because he killed Ito but because the ideological values he held that led to the assassination were based on his theory of Oriental peace. He shouted his rationale for his heroic deed in the Japanese court elucidate why it is important to consider Ahn Jung-geun.

“My act to kill Ito Hirobumi is part of Korea’s Independence Movement. Why I stand trial in the Japanese court is because I was taken prisoner after being defeated in war. I didn’t do this as an individual; treat me under the public law of all nations because I did this for my country’s independence and for Oriental peace as commander of the Korean Righteous Army.” 

Parents and Catholicism that affected Ahn Jung-geun's life 

Ahn Jung-geun’s character and factors that led to the formation of his ideals can be viewed from various angles, but his parents and Catholicism are the most representative. Ahn was born as the oldest son of his father Ahn Tae-hun (1862-1902) and his mother Cho Maria (Cho Seong-nyeo, 1862-1927) who gave birth to three sons and a daughter—Ahn Seong-nyeo (1881-1954), Ahn Jeong-geun (1884-1949), and Ahn Gong-geun (1889-1939). His father, Ahn Tae-hun, is the figure who influenced Ahn Jung-geun’s life most. Ahn Tae-hun grew up in a family which had the tendency to honor militarism. When he was a child, he and Park Eun-sik were even referred to as “twin prodigies” in Hwanghae Province; when he grew up, he became an influential figure in the rural community by becoming the only one in the fourth-generation Sunheung Ahn clan who passed the Jinsasi state exam. He greatly affected Ahn Jung-geun and his family in their embracement of civilization, ideology, philosophy of enlightenment, and Catholicism, which led the whole family to the after the Korea-Japan Protectorate Treaty of 19 Independence Movement 05.

Mother Cho Maria was a great inspiration to Ahn Jung-geun as well. A devout Catholic, Cho was reputable enough to be called a “woman of virtue” or a “heroine” in the Independence Movement community. When Ahn Jung-geun bid farewell to his mother after resigning as headmaster of Donui School in July 1907 to leave the country for the Independence Movement, Cho Maria told him to “fight to the end like a man, without being burdened by family affairs.” The mother’s teaching inspired him to head the Independence Movement in distress in North Manchuria and Primosky Krai. She told his son who was awaiting his execution after being sentenced to death for killing Ito that “should you appeal the ruling; it would amount to begging for your life to Imperial Japan. It is better that you die without thinking about anything else, because you have reached that point for the country. You received the penalty for having done what is right and so your filial duty to your mother is to die for a great cause without cowardly trying to save your own life.” She also delivered her statement through the lawyer Ahn Byeong-chan that “because you have reached that point for the country, death would be an honor; though it is truly sad that we, mother and son, will not meet again in this world.” Her remarkability can be gleaned from the anecdote that she sent a white silk shroud to Ahn Myeong-geun, Ahn Jung-geun’s young cousin who was born 15 days after him, so that her son could meet his fate wearing the shroud. Cho Maria was a strong mother who bequeathed her willpower to her son, devoting herself to the Independence Movement with her other children, even after the death of Ahn Jun-geun.

The Catholicism accepted by his father motivated Ahn Jung-geun and his family to aspire to civilization and enlightenment beyond the existing traditional order of values. Yet Ahn Jung-geun was not invested only in Catholic doctrines. Because his proposal to establish a college was rejected by Archbishop Mutel in Seoul, he stopped learning French, saying, “I could believe in the truth of Catholicism but foreigners’ minds cannot be trusted. If I continue to learn French, I won’t be able to escape being a slave to France.” He was a devout Catholic but thought that even Catholics should take part in the Independence Movement with the belief that “there is no religion before the state.” His statement in the Lushun court that “the Bible says killing people is a sin. But it is also a sin to look on with folded arms and do nothing when people try to steal a country and kill other people and so I just eliminated that sin” shows that his faith was not necessarily contained by any one doctrine.

Catholicism was the driving force behind the development of his character and the social reforms he sought. When he became aware of four ways to salvage the country—educational development, social expansion, solidarity, and cultivation of competence—through Father Le Gac, the priest he met in Shanghai in June 1905 while considering how to reclaim national sovereignty, he kept them in mind and put them into practice in Jinnampo. This was the force of social reform originating from his Catholic belief. 

안중근 의사 유묵 ⓒ안중근의사기념관

National Salvation Movement through Education and National Debt Repayment Movement 

In the fall of 1905, when the political situation of the Korean Empire became bleak, Ahn Jung-geun sought to take asylum in Shanghai with his father Ahn Tae-hun. However, upon hearing news about the sudden death of his father, he returned home in January 1906 and settled in Jinnampo. He devoted himself to the Patriotic Enlightenment Movement with his brothers in Jinnampo to cultivate the skills of the Korean people. Ahn Jung-geun established the Samheung School to fortify national education and became the second principal of Donui School after taking over the Catholic school until he fled the country seeking asylum in the August of 1907. He operated a rice store and Samhapui, a company selling coal, to raise the capital needed to operate Samheung School and Donui School.

The National Debt Repayment Movement began in Daegu in February 1907, led by Seo Sang-don and Kim Gwang-je. As the movement spread across the nation, Ahn Jung-geun opened the Gwanseo chapter of the National Debt Supporting Association and became its chief. He also achieved great outcomes through a speech emphasizing the appropriateness of the National Debt Repayment Movement before 1,000 people in Myeongryundang in Pyongyang in February 1907. He donated all the jewelry his family possessed to be used for debt repayment and, in May 1907, his younger brothers Jeong-geun and Gong-geun honored Ahn Jung-guen’s wish and donated 34 won into a relief fund for debt repayment with teachers and students of Samheung School. His mother, Cho Maria, also took an active part in the movement by donating silver items, like knives, rings, and earrings, worth 20 won during the second collection campaign put on by a women’s group.

Overseas exile and road of turmoil as a member of a Righteous Army

Shocked by the horrific disbandment of the army in August 1907, Ahn Jung-geun went into exile with the lofty aspiration of national salvation. He went to Yongjeong via Busan, then to Wonsan and Cheongjin in August that year and searched for activities involving Catholics. Yet he found it difficult to perform any activities because the Catholics there had a weak national spirit and Japan’s Resident-General installed police boxes for monitoring and control. So he moved to Vladivostok on Nov. 15 that year. This is when he began striving for national salvation, centered in Primosky Krai, for two years until October 1909 when he performed his heroic deed in Harbin.

His activities in Primosky Krai were to educate compatriots and manage the righteous army. His education of compatriots was not intended to establish school or nurture young scholars but designed to visit compatriots and educate them through speeches and campaigns, which were aimed at supporting the Righteous Army Movement. He met Lee Beom-yun and Choi Jae-hyeong; as they launched Donguihoe (president Choi Jae-heyong, vice president Lee Beom-yun) at the home of Yeonchu Choi Jae-hyeong, in April 1908, and Ahn joined the group. As the second vice commander of the Righteous Army of Donguihoe, led by Choi Jae-hyeong, Ahn Jung-geun united with the Righteous Army of Changuigun led by Lee Beom-yun and carried out operations into Korea, in July 1908. He won victories in the battles of Honguidong and Sinasan but, on July 21, he suffered a crushing defeat in the battle of Heoryeong-Yeongsan at the hands of the Japanese Army; after that, he had to endure a lot of hardships on his way back. But he did not give up and he regained his vigor to prepare for a second Righteous Army, but to no avail. Instigated by the Japanese government, Russia banned the Righteous Armies, and as the conflict and division between the forces of Choi Jae-yeong and those of Lee Beom-yun intensified, the Righteous Army Movement in Primosky Krai diminished quickly. Ahn, on the other hand, began publishing “Daedonggongbo,” in November 1908, starting the National Salvation Movement through Education. It was difficult to get help from the Korean society in Russia then, but Ahn Jung-geun formed the Donguidanjihoe (aka “Danjidongmaeng”) in Hari in the suburbs of Yeonchu on Feb. 26, 1909. Danjidongmaeng, led by Ahn Jung-geun and comprised of 12 comrades, was a secret organization aimed at resuming the Righteous Army Movement at a later time. When they risked their lives and committed themselves to national salvation, they obtained a tip from Daedonggongbo’s chief editor, Lee Gang, that Ito would visit Manchuria; Ahn Jung-guen set assassinating Ito as his new goal and carried out his heroic deed. 

Dream for Oriental peace 

Ahn Jung-geun shot Ito Hirobumi to death in front of the Harbin Railway Station on Oct. 26, 1909. Right after his heroic deed, he said he punished Ito to maintain Korea’s independence and achieve Oriental peace. Then he identified himself as commander of the Righteous Army and demanded that he be tried as prisoner of war under international law because his deed was not merely an act of terrorism but an act of a war of independence. However, Japan did not accept his demand. To disparage Ahn’s deed, Japan condemned it as an act of terrorism arising from personal grudge against Ito and his personal desire for fame. This was an act of intentional disregard for the cause, which Ahn Jung-geun stressed was for the sake of Korea’s independence and Oriental peace. Japan directed all its energy to minimizing and covering up the aftermath of Ahn Jung-geun’s patriotic deed and got the trial going as swiftly as it was possible. It was intended to halt the spread of Korean people wishing for independence by covering up Japan’s intention to annex Korea and to avoid the intervention of more powerful nations. Ahn Jung-geun’s brave deed did not stimulate Japan’s annexation of Korea but revealed the reality of Japan’s invasion of Korea to the world and simultaneously dealt a direct blow to Japan.

Ahn Jung-geun, who was imprisoned in Lushun Prison on Nov. 3, 1909, authored “Ahn Eung-chil History,” his autobiography recounting details of his life until his death on March 26 the following year. He also embarked on writing the “Theory of Oriental Peace” to disclose why he commit to posterity his rationale. Having been sentenced to death, Ahn wanted to finish his writing, but he was unable to do so and the “Theory of Oriental Peace” remains an unfinished short manuscript. His thoughts and ideas are well known through records created through, for example, the 14 rounds of interrogations he underwent; “Hearing Letters,” an abstract about what was discussed between Ahn and Hirishi Ujihito, Japan’s high court chief judge in Lushun; and “Memoirs,” by the interpreter Sonoki Sueki.

The gist of the Oriental peace treaty conceived by Ahn Jung-geun is that Korea, Qing China, and Japan should unite to keep peace in the Orient in the face of Western imperialism, and that these three nations should unite while maintaining their respective independence. The scope of Oriental peace was enlarged to encompass Thailand and Myanmar as well as the aforementioned three nations. He thought that genuine peace would be possible only if each of the nations remained independent. 

Theory of Oriental Peace – Ahn Jung Geun Memorial Museum

Content and characteristics of the theory of Oriental peace 

Ahn Jung-geun’s Theory of Oriental Peace contains the following as its core content:

First, Japan makes Lushun a naval port co-administered by the three nations, which would send delegates to organize the Oriental Peace Conference. If fees were to be collected from the members of the Oriental peace conference to help finance the conference, hundreds of millions of people from the three nations would join it. Second, a three-nation common bank would be established to facilitate smooth financing and a common currency would be issued. Third, if a three-nation joint military corps is formed and soldiers are taught two or more languages, they would consider each other allies and the concept of brotherhood would be bolstered. Fourth, Korea and China need to develop commerce and industry under Japan’s guidance. Fifth, if the emperors of Korea, China, and Japan visit the pope in Rome to pledge their cooperation and receive crowns, they would be able to gain credibility in the eyes of the western world.

Ahn Jung-geun’s Theory of Oriental Peace is somewhat similar to Pan-Asianism (Asianism) and the theory of Japan representing Orient, which envisioned Japan as the central player, but was characterized by principles of anti-aggression. His theory of Oriental peace was not meant merely for Oriental races and Oriental countries. The logic of thwarting Western imperialism was intended to maintain independence and peace in defiance to the Western invasion, but it did not envision the East shutting the door to Westerners themselves. Namely, the logic is based on the argument that it is important to get rid of the causes of war and disputes between nations and races without being absorbed in the idealogoly of racism. It is this Theory of Oriental Peace created by a 31-year-old man according to his clear view of history and keen concern about the crisis of his homeland while observing exogenous powers’ invasion of East Asia at the onset of the 20^th century. Almost all plans devised by East Asian intellectuals at the time shouted for East Asian solidarity and unity but actually had an exclusionary nature meant to benefit primarily themselves or their own races and nations. By contrast, Ahn Jung-geun insisted on Theory of Oriental Peace based on open nationalism with hope for a cosmopolitan world. In other words, his Theory of Oriental Peace does not contradict itself with regards to world peace and is certainly comparable to 21^st century peace theories.