Independence Fighter Moon Tae-soo Honored
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has selected Moon Tae-soo (1880-1913) as the Independence Fighter of the month in consultation with the Korea Liberation Association and the Independence Hall of Korea.
Moon was one of the prominent independence fighters who led volunteer troops, called ``Uibyeong,'' during the 1910-1945 Japanese colonial period.
Moon was born in Hamyang, North Gyeongsang Province, in March 1880 and later moved to Jangsoo, North Jeolla Province.
As Japan forced the Ulsa Treaty in 1905 which took away the sovereignty of Korea, Moon began preparations to fight for the nation's independence from Japan, in cooperation with his colleagues including Choi Ik-hyun.
In 1906, he rallied volunteer troops at Muju in North Jeolla Province and commanded the troops successfully during some 60 battles in Seoul, as well as the Jeolla and Chungcheong provinces.
In 1911, Moon was arrested after one of his colleagues tipped off the Japanese police about his whereabouts.
He committed suicide in prison in 1913 when he was 34.
Moon was posthumously awarded the Independence Medal of Honor for the National Foundation in 1963, for his dedication to the country's independence.