The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    K-pop group Kingdom recalls album cover resembling Quran

  • 3

    BTS' Jungkook to drop 2nd solo single '3D'

  • 5

    S. Korea flexes military might in rare parade with US in central Seoul

  • 7

    Korea has world's highest senior poverty rate: data

  • 9

    All BTS members renew contract with BigHit

  • 11

    K-pop fans rally in Seoul against luxury brands' failure on climate action

  • 13

    Deoksu Palace's reconstructed Dondeokjeon hall to open to public

  • 15

    Korean gov't faces international criticism for R&D budget cuts

  • 17

    Hyundai Steel decides to form steel pipe unit

  • 19

    SK earthon begins crude oil production in South China Sea

  • 2

    Actor Song Joong-ki still hungry for new movie roles

  • 4

    Tanghulu captures hearts of Korean millennials and Gen Z

  • 6

    4 in 10 Koreans experience overdue wages: survey

  • 8

    PHOTOSHarvest season arrives

  • 10

    Korean tennis player Kwon Soon-woo eliminated in 2nd round at Hangzhou Asiad

  • 12

    Serial killer transferred to detention center in Seoul equipped with execution chamber

  • 14

    Over half of Koreans want continuous strengthening of alliance with US: poll

  • 16

    LG Uplus, Hanwha develop ceiling-mounted EV charging system

  • 18

    EXCLUSIVELawmakers to submit resolution urging China to free N. Korean escapees

  • 20

    Main opposition chief in showdown with prosecutors over arrest

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Wed, September 27, 2023 | 07:02
Ahn Jung-geun
Ahn Jung-geun Writes Autobiography Before Trial
Posted : 2009-09-04 21:34
Updated : 2009-09-04 21:34
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
Ahn Jung-geun began writing his autobiography before his trial and finished it about a week and a half before he was executed.

The late Ahn Jung-geun
This is the ninth in a series of articles highlighting the life of Ahn Jung-geun on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his assassination of the first Japanese resident general of Korea, Hirobumi Ito, on Oct. 26, 1909, in China.

By Franklin Rausch
Contributing Writer

Ahn Jung-geun began writing his autobiography before his trial and finished it about a week and a half before he was executed.

In it, he recorded the important events of his life: his fighting in his father's righteous army against Donghak forces, his conversion to Catholicism, and his participation in the patriotic enlightenment and righteous army movements.

Therefore, his autobiography is an invaluable historical record. However, it is also an entertaining and interesting read in which the full force of Ahn's personality can be felt.

Ahn begins his autobiography with the circumstances of his birth. Like most Koreans at the time, he was given a childhood name.

His was Ahn Eung-chil, meaning "seven marks," as he had seven moles on his chest. He used this name later as an alias and entitled his autobiography "The Story of Ahn Eung-chil."

Later, in accordance with Korean custom, he was given the adult name Ahn Jung-geun, which means "heavy root," in order to correct his rash and impetuous nature.

Young Man

As a young man, Ahn loved to hunt and would frequently take his gun and go into the mountains to pursue his hobby.

He was nearly killed once when his gun jammed and then went off suddenly as he was trying to unjam it.

He was even accidentally shot by someone else.

His father, who had passed an official government exam and was known as a skilled poet, despaired as his son neglected his studies to go hunting.

Ahn's friends at school teased him, asking why with his father's scholarly reputation, he wanted to remain ignorant.

Ahn responded by quoting Xiang Yu of China, a commoner who rose to be a general and then a king during the Warring States period (476-221 B.C.), who said, "It is enough to be able to write one's name."

He then said that he would be famous one day, but like Xiang Yu rather than as a scholar.

One day, Ahn and his fellow students, as well as some girls, went on a picnic in the mountains.

Friends

Ahn, seeing some flowers on top of a cliff, decided to pick them - most likely for his female companions.

As he was climbing, he slipped and rolled down the cliff, only stopping his fall by grasping on to some vegetation, just a few feet before he would have gone over the mountain's edge.

His friends threw a rope down to him and pulled him to safety. They then thanked Heaven and went home.

As a young man, Ahn stated that he liked four things most of all: having close friends; drinking, singing, and dancing; going hunting; and galloping around on fast horses.

He often combined them. Whenever he heard of a brave man living somewhere, he would take up his gun and gallop off on his horse to find him.

If Ahn liked him, they would drink, dance, and sing together, sometimes at a kisaeng house (a kind of Korean courtesan, similar to a Japanese geisha).

It may at first seem strange that Ahn would take a gun to go and meet a friend, but Korea, especially Hwanghae Province, now in North Korea, where Ahn lived, was a much wilder place than it is today.

For instance, Ahn was president of the Ten-Thousand Men Club, which held a lottery. Many people gathered together the day the tickets were to be given out.

Unfortunately, the machine that was supposed to issue the tickets malfunctioned and started printing multiple tickets with the same numbers, meaning that several people could have claimed the same prize.

With cries of "Fraud!" and "Death to the president!," the crowd turned into an angry mob, throwing stones at Ahn and the other club members, driving all of them away but him.

Despairing of the future of the club and his own reputation should he run away, Ahn drew his pistol and demanded to know why the crowd was attacking him when he had not done anything wrong.

This seemed to have checked them until a giant of a man stepped forward and demanded to know why Ahn was threatening to kill them with his pistol after having invited them there for a lottery.

Ahn thought quickly and took the man's hand, telling him that matters had just spun out of control, and quoting ancient Confucian books, praised him and hailed him as his savior.

The man listened and agreed with Ahn, announcing to the crowd that he had done nothing wrong.

Ahn's Words

Ahn's words had changed a potential enemy into a friend. The crowd calmed down and listened as Ahn explained what had happened with the machine.

They all agreed to try again and the tickets were then issued without any problems. Quick thinking on Ahn's part had prevented disaster.

Through Ahn's autobiography, we are able to gain a snapshot of what life was like in Korea a century ago.

Though in many ways Ahn was an exceptional man, other Koreans most likely had experiences.

Moreover, we can see from these stories how Ahn's life experiences helped shape history.

Had Ahn lived somewhere else under different circumstances, he might have struggled for Korean independence as a government official, as Min Yeong-hwan did, or through diplomatic means, like Syngman Rhee.

Instead, his love of hunting, proficiency with weapons, and coolness during times of intense physical danger led him to take up arms to fight for Korean independence and peace in the East as a soldier.

The writer is a doctoral candidate at the University of British Columbia in the department of Asian studies where he focuses on Korean religious history. His research was supported in 2007-2008 by the Korea Foundation and in 2008-2009 by Fulbright Korea.
 
miguel
wooribank
Top 10 Stories
1S. Korea flexes military might in rare parade with US in central Seoul S. Korea flexes military might in rare parade with US in central Seoul
2Korea has world's highest senior poverty rate: data Korea has world's highest senior poverty rate: data
3For closer business ties between Korea, Vietnam For closer business ties between Korea, Vietnam
4Seoul Welcome Week to return for first time since pandemicSeoul Welcome Week to return for first time since pandemic
5Gov't to boost Korean language education for multiethnic students Gov't to boost Korean language education for multiethnic students
6POSCO International to enter US grain market POSCO International to enter US grain market
7[INTERVIEW] Wellington mayor's love for Korean culture spurs collaboration INTERVIEWWellington mayor's love for Korean culture spurs collaboration
8BOK warns of worsening household debt situation BOK warns of worsening household debt situation
9Late Samsung chairman's love of animals helps change Korea's pet culture Late Samsung chairman's love of animals helps change Korea's pet culture
10SK Telecom to triple AI investment over next 5 years SK Telecom to triple AI investment over next 5 years
Top 5 Entertainment News
1[INTERVIEW] ONEUS returns as 'mermaid prince' INTERVIEWONEUS returns as 'mermaid prince'
2Kep1er unveils 'Magic Hour' with fresh perspective on love Kep1er unveils 'Magic Hour' with fresh perspective on love
3Rwandan artists bring diversity to Seoul's art scene Rwandan artists bring diversity to Seoul's art scene
4K-pop group Kingdom recalls album cover resembling Quran K-pop group Kingdom recalls album cover resembling Quran
5BTS' Jungkook to drop 2nd solo single '3D' BTS' Jungkook to drop 2nd solo single '3D'
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group