Appeal underway for UN to mark anniversary of Korean independence fighter's death

By Yi Whan-woo

A nonprofit diplomatic organization is making an international appeal for the United Nations to mark the anniversary of Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun's death as “a day of peace in the East.”

The Voluntary Agency Network Korea (VANK) said Sunday it made the appeal on change.org, the largest international petition site on a wide range of subjects including human rights.

Ahn Jung-geun

Ahn (1879-1910) is a celebrated hero in Korea for his 1909 assassination of Hirobumi Ito, a Japanese elder statesman who laid the groundwork for imperial Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula and served as the first resident governor of a colonized Korea.

Ahn was sentenced to death and executed on March 26, 1910.

VANK cited Ahn's argument that he gunned down Ito in Harbin, China, to restore peace in the East.

“Ahn had a vision for peace and freedom against imperialism … We ask the U.N. to designate the date of his death as a day of peace in the East so that the young people of Northeast Asia can remember Ahn's spirit and together make a path for regional prosperity,” VANK said.

In 2014, China, in cooperation with Korea, opened a memorial to honor Ahn.

Korea also has its own memorial hall and park dedicated to Ahn.