Crossing Mount Bainang

Note the rugged terrain. Later, Kim Il Sung's family moved to the Chinese town of Lim-gang (Linjiang)

across Yalu.

Crossing Mount Bainang was hard on Mother. She carried my 3-year old brother Chul Ju on her back

and a bundle on her head. Her shoes wore out and her feet were a mess of bleeding blisters. Joong-gang

was a letdown for me. It was teaming with Japanese, not much different from the Hwang-gum or

Sehmun regions of Pyongyang. While we Koreans were forced to leave our home villages and wandered

around in alien places, why do these Japanese follow us even to the most remote boondocks and lord

over us? •Father told me that everywhere Koreans are, Japanese are there, too. I saw that Joong-gang

had a Japanese police station, a jail and a military police station. Joong-gang made me realize that all of

Korea was a gigantic dungeon.

More than half of Joong-gang was occupied by the Japanese immigrants and there was Japanese school,

a Japanese hospital and Japanese shops. I learned from Jung-gang residents that the Japanese occupation

began some ten years ago. Japan took over the rights to our timber in Ulsa Agreement and set up a timber

processing plant at Sinyiju and a branch at Joong-gang and brought Japanese woodcutters to settle in

Joong-gang. Among the woodcutters were many battle-hardened Japanese army veterans and they were

in fact paramilitary units ready to do battle at any time. In addition, there were a number of armed

Japanese police and regular army troops.

The main reason why Father moved us there was because Joong-gang was a hub of Korean nationalist

movement. He wanted to set up a hospital there and promote anti-Japan activities. He believed that being

a medical doctor, he would be less subject to Japanese surveillance and would have more degree of

freedom to move around; also, being a doctor would make it easier for him to see people.

We moved in Kang Ki Rak's lodging house. Kang gave us the cleanest and quietest room he had. After

getting out of prison, Father traveled in Kan-do and stayed in the this very room whenever he came to

Joong-gang. Kang Ki Rak ran the lodging "Yuh In Hotel" and also, a dental clinic and a photo shop. He

was a liaison for the Korean People's Association. Father operated from Kang's hotel room and

maintained contacts with Korean nationalists in Lim-gang, Jang-baik, Joong-gang, Byuk-dong, Chang-

sung. Chosan and other towns in the Yalu region.

Kang Ki Rak was well known in Joong-gang and visited the town hall at will. He passed on whatever

intelligence he gathered from the unsuspecting town officials to Father, which was invaluable to Father's

work. I worked for Father as a lookout and took care of the nationalists who came to see Father. I also

carried secret messages to Joong-sang and Joong-duk for Father.

One of the most memorable events in Joong-gang that I recall is the wrestling match I had with a

Japanese fellow. He was much bigger than I was but I won the match by doing a belly-throw on him. I

was called in to go after any Japanese kid that hassled Korean kids, which made the lodging proprietors

fear for Japanese reprisal. Father told him that we should never kowtow to anyone who look down upon

us, and he blessed my actions.   PAGE 40

Stateless Vagabonds in Foreign Places

Father changed his operations base often and so, my family moved several times when I was young. The

first move was when I was five. In the Summer, we moved to Bongwha-ri, leaving behind Grandpa,

Grandma and other close relatives. Because of my tender age, I felt no sad feeling parting with them. I

was too excited about our new home.

But our move to Jung-gang in the Fall was entirely a different matter. It was a sad move. Our relatives

were sad that we were moving so far, to the northern tip of the country. Grandpa, who normally stood

behind Father and supported his decisions, was aghast at Father's decision to move us away more than a

thousand ri. Father saw what was going through Grandpa's mind and did his best to calm him down.

Father sat next to Grandpa and helped with his handcraft work for the last time and said: "Dad, I am on

the blacklist of the Japanese police and I cannot do anything in Korea. They told me to stay home and

work the farm when I was released from prison. I will go on fighting, even if they jailed me ten times

more. Japanese are savages and merely shouting for independence will not bring it."

Uncle hugged Father and told him to write often, if he moved far away, too far to come home; he begged

Father never to forget the home and wept openly. Father held onto Uncle's hands for a long time. Father

consoled Uncle: "Hey, I will never forget our home. How on earth can I forget our home? We are forced

to part because of the bad times we are having, we shall meet again when Korea is freed and live happily

together again. Since our childhood, you have been cleaning up the mess I created and now I am leaving

and you have to be the man of the family now. I am very sorry."

"Dear elder brother, don't talk like that! I will care for Mom and Dad and you don't worry about them.

You keep your mind on your work and make sure you succeed. I will be here waiting for your success."

I was moved by their tearful farewell and wept with them. Although Mother told me that we would be

back home when Korea became independent, I wondered when that will be. I had no clear idea. In fact,

Father and Mother passed away in foreign places and this was their last moment with the family.

I kept on looking back toward our old home; I did not want to leave Grandpa and Grandma behind. I did

not want to leave the home, the mountains and rivers I grew up in, but I was happy that we were moving

far, far away from that prison in Pyongyang. Even after Father was released from prison, I was uneasy

about that prison. I feared that Father might get arrested and jailed there again. I was so naive that

moving to a remote village, away from Seoul and Pyongyang, we could find a safe haven from the

Japanese savages.

I asked how far Joong-gang was from Pyongyang and was told that it was one thousand ri. This sounded

like a safe distance because I thought no Japanese would come that far to get Father. It was said that

Joong-gang is the coldest place in Korea, but I did not mind as long as Father was safe theRE..PAGE 37

Siberia looking for new members

Gen. Yi Dong Whi

My presumption that Father had been to Siberia looking for new members for the Korean People's

Association is not unfounded. Father told us about the demonstrations by the people in northern border

regions and we told Father about the heroic activities of the villagers during the March First uprising. I

still remember my father saying: "An armed robber in your house will not spare your life, just because

you plead for your life. Other armed robbers standing outside will not rush inside to help you no matter

how loud you scream. If you want to live, you must fight off the armed robber yourself. Armed robbers

must be fought with arms."

I could see that Father's mind was set on a new course for Korean independence activities. I learned later

that during the March First uprising, Father observed the events unfolding in Korea from various

locations in the northern border regions and southern Manchuria. His thoughts were on changes in the

class structure in Korea. The March First Movement taught us that you cannot free your country by

merely shouting and marching around. The March turned Korea into a gigantic Japanese prison, buried

under forests of Japanese guns and bayonets and it would take superhuman efforts to fight the Japanese.

We must learn from the Russian revolution and mobilize and arm the people of Korea, in order to free

our nation and build a new Korea of equality, freedom and justice for all. This is the gist of Father's new

way of thinking - proletarian revolution.

Father saw that the Korean independence movement was not going anywhere; all it had done was to

leave bloody tracks of meaningless sacrifices; he realized that a new strategy was called for. Father saw hope in communism in light of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. The March First fiasco convinced him

that we must change our nationalist movement into communist revolution. Father argued for toilers'

revolution at the Chung-su Conference in July 1919. He convened a conference of the Korean People's

Association cadres, liaison officers and leaders of other nationalist organization in August at Hongtong-

gu, China. At the conference, Father expounded his belief in transforming our nationalist movement into

communist movement. He emphasized that the movement must defeat the Japanese imperialists by our

own power, adapting to the prevailing world situations and work to build a society that protect the

proletariat

The failure of the March First Movement

The failure of the March First Movement showed that the Korean bourgeoisie nationalist leaders could

not lead our anti-Japanese independence movement. The social class mix of the march leaders was such

that they were not totally opposed to the Japanese rule of Korea. Their objective was to extract

concessions from the Japanese authorities so as to protect and enhance their class standing in the Korean

society. The fact that many of the leaders became after the march pro-Japanese collaborators and social

reformists under the Japanese rule supports the above assertion..

At the time, Korea had no progressive elements that were stoing enough to counter reformism. There was

no major industrial proletarian class consciousness that could fight against bourgeois reformism at the

time. Our toiling mass was still untouched by Marxism-Leninism and lacked organized leadership. It

would be years before the Korea's working class had at last a vanguard that fought for and protected its

class interest; it had to make a long hazardous journey. In the aftermath of the failed March First

Movement, the Korean people came to realize that a strong leadership was needed to gain independence.

Although, millions of Korean people joined the movement, there was no people's organization or class-

root leadership and the movement was hampered by divisiveness and ineffectual spontaneity.

The failed March First Movement taught us that in order to win our fight for independence and freedom,

we must have effective revolutionary leadership and organizational structures; we must use the right

tactics and strategies; and we must debunk toadyism and build up our strength on our own.

The March First Movement, even though failed, showed to the world that the Korean people did not wish

to be slaves of other nations, that they were strongly self-reliant and self-deterministic, that they were

willing to die for their country. The March First Movement shocked the Japanese imperialists into

imposing harsh martial laws and brain-washing indoctrination policies.

The March First Movement put an end to Korea's nascent bourgeois nationalist movement and the

Korean people's struggle for independence entered a new stage. The loud hurrahs for independence that

shook our land of misfortune and reverberated throughout the world kept on ringing in my ears all

through that summer; the ringing forced me to grow up faster. The Potong Gate boulevard, shrouded in

smoke and sparks of intense fighting between the marchers and the Japanese police, opened a new venue

in my world-view. Shouting "Long Live Korea" squeezed between grownups and on my tiptoes to see

between their legs ended my age of innocence; my childhood ended abruptly on that day.

The March First Movement placed me in the rank of the people and left an image on my eyes of the true

nature of the Korean people. Whenever I hear the echo of the March First hurrahs in my mind's ears, I

feel so proud of the Korean people's unbending determination and heroism.

A letter from Father arrived in that Summer. Along with the letter, there was a "Goldfish" calligraph

y set of a brush and ink, made in China. Father wanted me to become proficient in writing. I immediately put

the set in use, I ground out some ink in water, dipped the brush in it and wrote out three large letters -

"Ah Buh Ji" (father). That night, the family gathered around a dim kerosene lamp and read Father's letter

over and over again. Uncle Hyong Rok read it three times. He was normally restless and vibrant, but he

was slow and deliberate like an old man while reading the letter. Mother quickly glanced over the letter

and handed it me, asking me to read it aloud for Grandpa and Grandma. Even though I had not started

my formal schooling, Father had taught me how to read..PAGE 31-32

The elite of Korea

The elite of Korea who organized and led the March First Movement failed to see this lesson from

history. The March leaders erroneously opted for non-violent marches, totally ignoring the people's

burning desires for action. All they accomplished was to publish a declaration of independence, that

gained precious little for the Korean people. They did not want the people to go beyond peaceful

demonstrations.

Some of the leaders believed that Korea could be freed by sending petitions to other nations. They took

and swallowed US President Woodrow Wilson's "Doctrine of Self Determination" and expected the

United States and other Western Powers to pressure Japan into freeing Korea. They wrote petition after

petition, becoming laughing stocks of the imperialists. Kim Gyu Sik and associates begged and pleaded

with representatives of the imperialist nations, who were more keen on grabbing more colonies for

themselves than freeing any colony.

It was a mistake for those Korean leaders to take Wilson's self-determination doctrine at its face value.

The so-called doctrine was nothing but an American ruse to counter the October Revolution in Russia

and to dominate the world. The American imperialists used the doctrine to stir up divisive forces in the

Soviet Union and prevent it from assisting colonies fighting for independence. The doctrine was also a

scheme to take over colonies of the nations defeated in World War I.

Early in the 20th Century, the United Stated signed Kazra-Taft Treaty whereby Japan was given a free

hand in Korea. To expect America to pressure Japan to give up Korea was ludicrous. There is no record

of any strong nation helping a week nation, presenting its people with freedom and independence. A

nation's nationhood can be maintained or regained only by the people. This is a truth proven throughout

the history. During the Russo-Japanese War and the Portsmouth Kangwha Conference, King Kojong

dispatched emissaries to the United States and pleaded US help in keeping Korea independent. The fact

of the matter is that the United States sided with Japan during the Russo-Japanese War and did

everything it could to ensure Japanese victory. After the war, the United States in effect negotiated on

behalf of Japan and injected issues favorable to Japan. US President Theodore Roosevelt refused to

accept King Kojong's letters claiming that they were not 'official' documents.

King Kojong dispatched secret envoys to Hague Peace Conference. Kojong declared that the Korea-

Japan Ulsa Agreement of 1905 was illegal, void and null. He appealed to the world conscience and

humanitarianism, believing that Korea would be helped doing so. The Japanese countered Kojong's

moves with false propaganda and other world powers ignored the King's pleas. The emissaries suffered

tearful rejection after rejection by the delegates. Because of the secret emissaries, Japan forced King

Kojong to abdicate and his son Sunjong ascended the throne.

The Hague emissary fiasco was a loud warning bell that shook the very foundation of Korea's feudal

ruling class, rooted deep in toadyism (

Lee Wha Rang note: sah-dae ju-i - worship of the powerful; also,

flunkeyism

). Lee Jun, Kojong's secret emissary, cut his stomach open at the Hague Peace Conference

and stained the conference hall red with his Korean blood; it is a tragic lesson that Korea should not 

count on other nations for independence, because they did not care. In spite of this sad lesson, some of

our nationalist leaders clung to the naive notion that the United States, with its 'doctrine of self

determination' would free Korea; it shows how toadish they were; how deep-rooted their pro-

Americanism was.

Nationalist leaders being crucified...

. Even the lowly women servants and entertainment maidens (kisaeng), the bottom echelon in the

feudal society, formed their own formation and joined the march.

For over a month or two, the Korean peninsula resonated with shouts for independence. Spring passed

and Summer came, and the ardor of the uprising gradually subsided. Many Koreans mistakenly assumed

that the Japanese would get out, if they marched for several months shouting slogans. They were sadly

mistaken; the Japanese were not about to leave Korea on account of mere marches. Japan fought three

major wars over Korea.

About 400 years ago in 1592, Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent Gonishi Yukinaga to conquer Korea with several

hundreds thousand troops. The Japanese conducted scorched-earth campaigns and torched Korea from

Pusan to Pyongyang to Hamhung. In the 19th century, after the Meiji Reform, the Japanese formulated a

plan to take Korea by force. It was asserted that Korea was essential for the Empire to expand. Some

Japanese were opposed to this plan of naked aggression and a quiet civil war broke out in Japan that

lasted for half a year. The war faction was led by Saiko Takamori, whose stature still stands in today's

Japan. Japan fought war with Russia and China over Korea. America and Great Britain supported Japan

in these two wars.

Nationalist leaders being crucified.

The bestiality of the Japanese troops was fully exposed in the Russo-Japanese War. Maresuke Nogi

commanded Japanese Third Army in the Port Arthur battle. He had dead corps filed high and used them

as stepping stones to attack the "203 Meter Hill" (

Lee Wha Rang note: the Hill fell on December 5, 1904.

The Russian general Anatoly Mikhailovich Stësel surrendered on January 2, 1905.)

. Some 25,000 were

killed for Nogi's human ladders. The Japanese suffered heavy losses and won the war, but they failed to

take Manchuria or Siberia. Angry war widows and orphans of the soldiers who died for Nogi gathered to

confront him. But the crowd fell silent when they saw that Nogi wore three crosses, one for each of his

own sons killed in the war. I do not know how accurate this story is, but the point is that the Japanese

had paid for Krea dearly and they were not ready to cough up Korea.(PAGE 29

marching for independence

I was only eight years old at the time, but I joined in the march wearing my worn-out shoes full of holes.

I shouted and shouted with the marchers and reached Botong Gate. The marchers rushed inside the castle

past the Gate; I could not keep up with them in my tattered shoes and so I took them off and ran after the

marchers as fast as my little legs could move. The enemy mobilized mounted police and army troops to

stop our march, They slashed and shot the marchers indiscriminately. Many of the marchers fell spilling

blood. But the marchers marched on and fought the enemy with bare hands.

For the first time in my life, I witnessed people killing people, Korean blood staining our own land. My

young mind and body was enraged. After the sunset, the villagers from Mangyon-dae went to Mangyong

Peak and held a rally at the summit. Torches were lit and bugles blared. We beat drums and metal pans,

making enough noise to wake up the dead. We shouted hurrah for our independence. This continued on

for several days. Mother and her sister took me along when they joined the crowd at the summit. Mother

was busy carrying drinking water and burning oil for the torches to the protesters at the summit.

The marchers in Seoul were joined by the people who were in Seoul to attend King Kojong's funeral.

Several hundreds of thousands of people joined the march. Hasegawa, Governor General of Korea,

ordered the 20th Infantry Division garrisoned at Yongsan to squash the movement. The Japanese

soldiers attacked unarmed marchers with swords and rifles, turning Seoul into a sea of Korean blood.

But the marchers stayed their course; when the vanguards fell, the next in line took the lead. The

marchers pushed on stepping over their fallen comrades. People marched in all major towns and cities in

Korea on that day.

Photo: Young school girls marching for independence.

Young school girls marched holding up Taeguk-gi. When their hand holding up the flag was cut off by

the Japanese, they picked up the flag with the other hand. When both hands were cut off, they marched

on until they dropped, shouting "Long Live Korea!" Even the most hardened Japanese savages were

afraid of such determined opponents. The mass uprising in Seoul and Pyongyang soon spread to all of

the thirteen provinces of Korea by the middle of March. It had spilled over to Manchuria, Shanghai,

Siberia, Hawaii and other foreign places. The uprising was a true pan-national movement, of all Koreans,

all overseas Koreans, irrespective of their gender, age, religion and vocation. Every one was welcome to 

join (PAGE 28)

HIDE IN DARK ROOM

We were led into a damp. dark room, filled with

suffocating stench and stagnant air. There I saw

Father smiling in the room. He was glad to see

me and thanked Mom for bringing me along. I

had some difficulty recognizing Father in prison

garb and noticed that every part of his body

visible - face, neck, hands and feet - was swollen

and bruised. But Father was more concerned

about his family than his broken body. Father

said: "Yes, you have grown quite a bit since I saw

you last. Pay attention to your elders and study

hard, you hear?" Father talked calmly as if the

prison guard watching us did not exist. Hearing

his voice made me to break into loud sobs and I

cried loudly - "Father, please come back home

with us". Father was happy to hear my voice and nodded his head smiling. Father told Mother to take

good care of brush and comb salesmen who might drop in. He was referring to the Association members

and nationalists who may need help.

(Photo: Pyongyang Prison)

.

Father's unyielding spirit even in prison etched indelible marks in me. Another unforgettable thing about

that visit was running into Lee Kwang Rin, who was a member of the Association. She attended

Pyongyang Girls Vocational School of Mechanical Engineering. Fortunately, the Japanese police had

nothing on her. Lee and another Association member came to see Father on that day. In those days of

strong feudal habits, young unmarried women visiting a prison was a taboo. If a young woman of marital

age got caught frequenting a prison, she might as well kiss away any idea of finding a suitable husband.

No man from a decent family would marry such a woman. Nevertheless, Lee, a modern progressive

woman, extremely rare in those days, came to see Father in prison and the guards gawked at her and

followed her every move. Lee's shining face cheerfully consoled Father and Mother.

Visiting Father in prison was one of the most significant events in my life. I understood why Mother

chose to take me to the prison. Scars and wounds on Father's body pained me physically and I swore to

get even with the Japanese devils, that were not human beings at all, but Satan. Father's wounds taught

me about the Japanese imperialists far more than any number of political scientists or historians could

have possibly taught me. Until that time, I had not witnessed police brutality, except those instances of

the police on headcount and health investigation; once, a Japanese policeman got angry at us for some

reason and cut up a door and smashed it onto a cooking pot, breaking its lid. This was nothing compared

to torturing and maiming innocent people. I have never forgotten Father's broken body in prison. That

image was always with me even during moments of heated combats.

Father completed his term in 1918 and came home. Grandpa and Uncle went to the prison to bring Father

home in an ox-cart. Our neighbors gathered in Songsan-ri to welcome him back. Father could barely

walk because of the tortures he had received in prison. He managed to walk out the prison limping

PAGE 25 THE BOOK WITH THE CENTURY

Association decided to establish an operational base for anti-Japan activities

. As is clear from this statement of its purpose, the

Association believed that Korean independence could not be achieved by external forces and so, it should

be accomplished by the Koreans themselves.

The Association decided to establish an operational base for anti-Japan activities at Gan-do and

dispatched an advance team to lay the groundwork. The Association was organized meticulously. It

chose and accepted members after lengthy investigation; only people with well established track records

were invited into the Association. Members were organized in independent cells and secret codes were

used for communications among the members. Secret documents were encrypted. The members got

together once a year on the occasion of Sungsil school anniversary. It ran several front organizations

such as Education Society, Stone Monument Society and Home Society. These legal open entities were

used to cover the secret activities of the Society. Liaison offices were set up in Beijing and Dandong for

external contacts.

The Association was established with full support of the people; its membership included workers,

farmers, teachers, students, military (independence armies), merchants, religionists, businessmen and

people from other socio-economic strata. The association's membership was not limited to people living

in Korea and reached Beijing, Shanghai, Jirin, Musong, Rimgang, Jangbaik, Yuha, Kwangjun, Dandong,

Hwajun and Hong Kong. My father recruited Jang Chul Ho, Kang Jeh Ha, Kang Jin Gun, Kim Si Woo

and many other key members into the Association and they played important roles in the organization

and expansion of the Association. Recruiting a member took a great deal of time and effort. Father would

travel even one thousand ri in order to recruit one single member.

One day. Oh Dong Jin dropped in unexpected to see my father. Oh was on his way to Hwanghae

Province. He was unusually quiet and had an air of tension. Oh said proudly that he found a good man

for my father -"Gong Young from Byokdong is still a green young buck, but he is highly intelligent, tall

and good-looking. He is trust-worthy and an martial art expert, too. In the olden days, he would have

made a good marshal." My father was pleased and thanked Oh for a fine job well done. From the ancient

times, it had been accepted that finding a talent was more important than the talent itself.

Upon Oh's departure, Father asked my eldest uncle to make him several pairs of straw sandals, and in the

next morning, Father left home with the sandals. Father was gone for about one month. He had

apparently walked long distances, for he wore out all of the sandals that Uncle made for him, but he

came home with smiles on his face. Father met Gong Young on his trip and he was very satisfied with

Gong. Father's way of caring for and nurturing his comrades was one of the most important lessons I

learned from him in my youth.

For several years, the Korean People's Association spread its gospel in Korea and abroad. Its membership

increased and its word got around. However, the Japanese got wind of it in the Fall of 1917 and started

to dismantle it ruthlessly. On a windy day, three Japanese policemen burst into my father's classroom at

Myonsin School and dragged him away right in front of his students. Mr. Huh followed my father to the

river ferry, where Father managed to whisper a message to Huh. Huh ran all the way to my house and

relayed Father's message and the news of his arrest. Father instructed Mother to burn documents hidde

in the roof of our house. She climbed to the roof, recovered the documents and burnt them in her cooking

fire.  

Father said

Father said that one of the main reasons why Kim Ok Gyun's reform failed was his reformists did not

trust the people's power, relying instead upon palace cliques. He said I should learn from Kim's error. I

assume that my father went to Shanghai from Kan-do to see for himself our much rumored independence

movements in China. He most likely wanted to coordinate his activities in Korea with those working

abroad. Anti-colonial wars of liberation had not reached any degree of maturity at the time and there was

no accumulated expertise on the subject.

When my father went to China, the Chinese revolution was fighting for its very survival. The Chinese

revolutionaries had to fight military factions and warlords as well as foreign intervention forces from

America, Great Britain and Japan. In spite of this state, many of our independence fighters were living

under the illusion that some foreign imperial power would come to their assistance. My father returned

home convinced that the Korean people must liberate themselves on their own, by themselves. After his

trip to China, Father began to work more feverishly, often skipping meals and sleeps, to educate more

youth and recruite more patriots. Our house was at Bongwha-ri at the time; my father taught school

children during the day and taught adults during the evening and went to bed at late hours.

Once I read an anti-Japan article written by my father at a school event. Father wrote many revolutionary

and anti-Japanese poems and essays for his students. Many independence fighters came to see my father

at Bongwha-ri and he went to see them at various location of Pyongahn and Hwanghae provinces. He

firmed up core cadres and laid foundation for mass movements. On March 23, 1917, my father together

with Jang Il Whan, Bai Min Su, Baik Seh Bin and other comrades formally established the Korean

People's Association at the home of Lee Bo Sik, located at Hak-dang-gol, Pyongyang. The charter

members wrote letters of their allegiance in their own blood - "Korean independence and fight to the

end."

The main theme of the Association was that the Korean people must unite and achieve independence on

their own, and develop Korea into a strong advanced nation. It was a secret organization, about the

largest of anti-Japan organizations in Korea around the time of the March First Movement. There were

hardly any secret organization in 1917 in Korea. Organizations such as the Righteous Army, the Korean

Independence Army and the Korea Restoration Society, which sprang up after the annexation, were gone

by this time. They could not withstand the savage attacks by the Japanese security forces, which were

quite effective in detecting and arresting anti-Japan activists. Consequently, few Koreans dared to even

ponder doing anti-Japanese work. Even those who had the courage to oppose Japan could do little in

Korea and some went abroad and formed secret organizations. Some people set up organizations,

sanctioned by the Governor General of Korea and did what they could legally under the Japanese rule.

The Korean People's Association came into being in this kind of vacuum in Korea. It was an anti-

imperialism organization. Its platform asserted that the US and Western powers would soon get into

conflict with Japan, already entrenched in Asia, over hegemony in Asia. This would be an opportune

moment for the Korean people to rise up and drive out the Japanese, and so, the Association members

 must work in unison and prepare for the moment. As is clear from this statement of its purpose, the

Association believed that Korean independence could not be achieved by external forces and so, it should

be accomplished by the Koreans themselves. (PAGE 21-22)

Oh Dong Jin

Japanese activities. Oh took up arms to fight the Japanese. Oh showed much respect for and devotion to

my father. His home at Yiju had so many visitors seeking his advice that he set up a visitors quarter with

its own kitchen staff. But my father was always welcome to the inner quarters and Oh's wife personally

prepared meals for my father. Oh and his wife visited us once and Grandma gave them a rice serving

bowl as a humble gift.

The reason why I write so much about Oh Dong Jin is not only because of his friendship with my father,

but also because of his influence on me during my youth. I had developed a strong kinship to Oh when I

was a young boy. Oh was arrested by the Japanese police when I was in school at Jirin (Kil-rim). Years

later in March 1932, while I was trying to organize a guerrilla unit, Oh was tried at the Sinyiju court.

They say Mahatma Gandhi's pre-trial records numbered 25,000 pages, but Oh Dong Jin's court

documents were well over 3,500 pages in 64 volumes. His trial was delayed because of the huge crowd

that came to see him. The trial was scheduled to start in the morning, but it had to be postponed till one

O'clock. Oh denied the accusations and then jumped on the trial judge's stand, shouting "Long Live

Korea!". He was escorted out and was sentenced in absentia to life in prison. Oh died in prison. News

paper articles on his court trial and a photo of his travel to the Pyongyang prison were welcome

inspirations for me during a time when I was struggling to form a guerrilla unit.

Many of my father's school mates of Sungsil became renowned revolutionaries and became the corner

stone of the Korean People's Association. After my father quit Sungsil School, he taught at Sunhwa

school in Mangyong-dae and Myongsin School in Gangdong. He was devoted to educating the youth of

Korea and also recruiting new members for the Korean People's Association. He quit Sunsil so that he

could spend more time for revolutionary works. In 1916, Father went to Kan-do during the summer

break. I don't know how, but from there, he traveled to Shanghai and got connected with Sun Yatsen's

Nationalist Party of China. My father thought highly of Sun as the forerunner of the progressive

elements of China and said that the new laws of China that allowed one day of rest per week and cutting

off the pigtails worn by men were realized thanks to the Chinese bourgeoisie.

Father liked the "Three-Min" slogans of Sun's party: people, people's rights and people's livelihood. He

believed that Sun was a bright sincere progressive revolutionary. However, Sun's appointment of Wang

Seik, an old general of the old Dynasty, was a serious mistake. My father told me about the Korean

bourgeois movement when I was young. Father very much regretted that Kim Ok Gyun's reform

movement had failed in less than three years since its inception; he believed that Kim's charters for

human rights, equality, anti-illiteracy and equal opportunity were just right for Korea. Kim's covert

attempt at breaking the age-old yoke of client state relation with China was patriotic. I believed that

Kim Ok Gyun was a progressive patriot and I wondered if his reform movement had succeeded, Korea's

history might have been quite different.

Years later, Kim Ok Gyun's movement was viewed in light of self-reliance (juche). Many of our history

teachers branded Kim pro-Japanese and even after liberation, our historians tagged him pro-Japanese

because he sought Japanese assistance in readying his reform. I think it is not right to label him so, and I

have told the historians that although Kim's failure to mobilize the people behind his reform was a

mistake, his reliance on Japanese was not by itself a bad thing. He used the Japanese to further his

 objectives and not to Japanize his reform. In view of the situations prevailing at the time, he had no other

option and using the Japanese was the best tactic available to him(PAGE 20-21)

MY FATHER

My father spent his summer-breaks traveling to Ahnju, Kangdong, Sunahn, Yiju and other towns in

Pyongahn provinces as well as to regions in Hwanghae, on mass enlightenment and recruitment

missions. The most valuable thing my father gained at Sungsil was the comradeship of his friends, many

of whom became long-term close personal friends and comrades-in-arms in his fight against the

Japanese. They were bright, eager and magnanimous; the cream of a new generation of Korea. Among

them was Lee Bo Sik from Pyongyang, who was active in both clubs at the school, played key roles in

forming the Korean People's Association and the March First Movement. When we lived in Bongwha-ri,

Lee Bo Sik came to see my father frequently at our home and also at Myongsil school where my father

taught.

Baik Seh Bin (aka Baik Young Mu) from North Pyongahn Province was a close friend of my father. He

came from Pihyon and acted as a guide whenever my father traveled in his area. He was a national and

international liaison for the Korean People's Association. In December 1960, I heard that Paik Se Bin

became an active member of the National Self Determination for Independence League in South Korea.

Park In Gwan roomed with my father when he briedly stayed at the school dormitory. In the spring of

1917, Park got a job teaching at Kwangsun school in Unyul, Hwnaghae Province. While teaching there,

he became an active member of the Korean People's Association. He was arrested while recruiting

members in Songwha, Jaeryong, Haeju and other towns of the province and spent a year in the Haeju

prison. "The Peninsula and Us", a thesis written by his students at the school is preserved and on display

at the Unul library. The thesis is a witness to the revolutionary activities of the Association.

Oh Dong Jin was perhaps the closest associate of my father. He was a frequent house guest at our home

going back to my father's Sungsil school days. Oh Dong Jin attended Daesung School in Pyongyang,

which was established by Ahn Chang Ho. On account of their common ideology that transcended

personal attributes, their camaraderie evolved rapidly. Oh Dong Jin met my father for the first time in

the spring of 1910 at an athletic meet held at an old training ground of the Yi Dynasty army. Some

10,000 students from Pyongyang, Pakchun, Kangsuh, Youngyu and other towns were at the meet,

My father spoke at a speech contest held upon completion of the athletic events. Some

speakers advocated that the best route for Korea to catch up with the rest of the world

was to follow Japan model and adopt Japanese culture. My father vehemently denounce

it and advocated that the Korean people alone were capable of uplifting themselves

from poverty and backwardness. The crowd liked what they heard; among the crowd

was Oh Dong Jin, who was so moved by my father's speech on that day, he devoted his

life to patriotic activities. From 1913 on, Oh, using retail business as a guise, traveled to

Seoul, Pyongyang, Sinyiju and other major cities in Korea and China. He used to drop

in to to see my father and they would spend hours discussing anti-Japanese

activities

(Photo: Oh Dong Jin in prison).

By that time, Oh Dong Jin had become a household name. He was from a wealthy prominent family and

he could have led a comfortable life, but instead, ho chose the difficult and dangerous path of anti-

Japanese activities. Oh took up arms to fight the Japanese. Oh showed much respect for and devotion to

my father. His home at Yiju had so many visitors seeking his advice that he set up a visitors quarter with

its own kitchen staff. But my father was always welcome to the inner quarters and Oh's wife personally

prepared meals for my father. Oh and his wife visited us once and Grandma gave them a rice serving

bowl as a humble gift(PAGE 18-19)