Korea commemorates 114th anniv. of death of independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun

People pay tribute to a photo of independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun during a ceremony for the 114th anniversary of his death at Ahn's memorial museum in central Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

Korea marked the 114th death anniversary of Ahn Jung-geun (1879-1910) on Tuesday, emphasizing that the patriotic spirit of the late independence fighter should be revered as a priceless legacy.

The Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Association hosted the ceremony at his memorial museum in Jung District, Seoul, with the association’s Chairman Kim Hwang-sik, Patriots and Veterans Affairs Minister Kang Jung-ai and more than 200 descendants of other independence figures present.

During the ceremony, the association awarded the “fourth Ahn Jung-geun East Asian Peace Prize,” to Yoon Ja-sung, the chairperson of the North American Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Foundation, for her contribution to promoting the patriotic spirit and peace ideals of Ahn Jung-geun in North America.

Yoon Ja-sung is the granddaughter of Yoon Neung-hyo, who engaged in the independence movement against Imperial Japan in the Russian Far East and is known for his financial assistance of Ahn’s 1909 assassination of Ito Hirobumi, the resident-general of Korea at the time.

“Until his patriotic death 114 years ago today, Ahn dedicated himself solely to our nation and people, and his noble patriotism should be revered as a priceless legacy for the nation to cherish,” Minister Kang said.

“The ministry will earnestly remember the spirit of Ahn and countless other patriots and spare no efforts in passing their legacy on to future generations.”

Born in 1879, Ahn dedicated his whole life to defending the country’s independence. After the Korean Empire signed an unwilling protectorate treaty with Imperial Japan in 1905, Ahn established private schools to educate young people, but resorted to armed resistance when Emperor Gojong was dethroned in 1907 and the empire’s military forces were dissolved.

In 1908, he led several attacks against Japanese forces in northern regions of the country, and assassinated Ito in China’s Harbin on Oct. 26, 1909, a year before the Japanese Empire annexed Korea.

After being arrested, he insisted on the just cause of his assassination, reciting a list of 15 offenses Ito had committed, and called for Korea’s independence and peace in East Asia. He was sentenced to death on Feb. 14, 1910, and executed in March 26 that year.

In 1962, the Korean government awarded him a posthumous Order of Merit for National Foundation, the most prestigious civil decoration in the country.