Righteous aspiratioN

Photo: Kim Hyong Jik - Father

'Righteous aspiration' has little to do with achieving worldly fames or getting rich and powerful, but

rather, it deals with achieving happiness and satisfaction from fighting for Korea, year in, year out, from

generation to generation, however long it may take to liberate Korea. It is the basic foundation of our

revolutionary spirit.

Father had explained why one should have grand visions. The visions were for free and prosperous

Korea, for the Korean people's fight for independence. The Yi Dynasty was weak militarily. Prior to the

Yi Dynasty, Korea used to a strong nation. It had powerful military might and its culture bloomed,

spilling across the Korea Strait to Japan. But 500 years of reign by corrupt Yi kings bankrupted and

emaciated Korea to the point that Korea could not stand on her feet, and fell, she did.

A few years before my birth, Japan conquered Korea with guns and sabers; there were Korean traitors

who sold out their own country and people to the Japanese. The traitors sold our land to the enemy, but

they could not sell our soul. Common people, all across Korea, rose up carrying spears to drive out the

invaders and their puppets. Our independence army troops killed hundreds of Japanese invaders with

muskets, and civilians, armed with no more than stones, fought pitched battles with heavily armed

Japanese police and soldiers. They died shouting freedom and justice, appealing to the conscience of

humanity and human rights advocates of the world, in vain.

Choe Ik Hyon, a Righteous Army leader, was captured and exiled to

Formosa, which was under Japanese rule at the time. He starved

himself to death than to eat Japanese food. Lee Jun committed suicide

in front of a world meeting of imperialist powers. He demonstrated the

Korean people's firm determination to regain independence. Ahn

Joong Gun shot and killed Ito, the Japanese architect of imperialism, at

the Harbin rail station. Ahn kept on shouting - "Long Live Korea".

until he was subdued by the Japanese police. Kang Wu Gyu, well past

60 years of age, threw a bomb at Saito, Governor General of Korea.

Lee Jae Hyong stabbed Lee Wan Yong, Korea's number one traitor.

Min Young Whan, Lee Bum Jin and Hong Bum Do wanted to liberate

Korea by military means. (Lee Wha Rang photo: Choe Ik Hyon, 1833-

1907).

There was a nation-wide movement to raise money to pay back debts owed to Japan in the aftermath of

the Russo-Japanese War. The Yi King burrowed 13 million won from Japan, but he could not pay it back

and forced the people to shell out money for him. Korean men stopped smoking to save their tobacco

money, King Kojong himself stopped smoking. Women skimped on grocery bills to save money for the

King, marriage-age girls donated their dowry; servants and maids working for rich people donated their

meager savings; rice-cake vendors, straw-sandal hawkers, vegetable vendors - all of them chipped in to

pay off our national debt. In spite of such outpouring of patriotism, Korea could not be saved.  (PAGE 18)