Newsletter

We celebrated the 93rd anniversary of the March 1st Movement. When we say the 'March 1st Movement,' we are often reminded of independence activist Yu Gwan-sun, the '33 national representatives,' or the Declaration of Independence. And when we say the '33 national representatives, we might have to think hard before we could remember Sohn Byung-hee or Han Yong-woon. Among the 33 national representatives, Mr. Oh Se-chang is a relatively unknown member. And let me take this opportunity to introduce him to the readers.

Born as the Son of Enlightenment Thinker Oh Gyeong-seok

Oh Se-Chang
(1864~1953)

On July 15, 1864 (according to the lunar calendar), Wichang Oh Se-chang was born as the only son of a family with a daughter. His father Oh Gyeong-seok was a renowned interpretation officer and representative Enlightenment thinker in Seoul, and his mother from the Kimhae Kim clan. Oh Se-chang started receiving intensive training in Chinese in his father's home school at age 8 (1871), and his training continued until age 16 (1879), when he eventually passed the state exam to become an interpretation officer (Chinese). In 1880, he began a government career in the Office of Translators. He served as a reporter for Hanseongsunbo (Seoul Tri-Monthly), the first modern newspaper in Korea, and as director of the Communications Bureau until 1895 when he went to Japan to teach Korean at the Tokyo Foreign Language School.

Today, his father Oh Gyeong-seok is highly regarded as the founder of Enlightenment thinking. The Oh family was one of the most prestigious middle-class (Jungin) families with the legacy of serving in the interpretation officer position for eight generations. 'A Biography of Kim Ok-gyun' written by Oh Se-chang recollects that his father Oh Gyeong-seok consolidated his Enlightenment thinking through multiple visits (13 visits to be exact) to China and, in particular, repeatedly stressed the absolute need for an across-the-board reform in light of the reality in Joseon at that time. The course of events in which he would be involved in the Enlightenment coup and go to Japan may have a lot to do with the history of his family.
The interpretation officers (Jungins) with economic abundance and high levels of literary attainments had shown the tendency to expand their artistic activities and areas of interest to antique caligraphy paintings and epigraphy. This was largely due to the influence of Chusa Kim Jung-hee who often had exchanges on caligraphy paintings and bibliographical studies with the literary circles of Qing during the late Joseon period. In particular, as his father Oh Gyeong-seok was under the great influence of realists Park Je-ga and Kim Jung-hee, and interpretation officer Lee Sang-jeok, it was only natural that Oh Se-chang would be exposed to his family scholarship and its customs. For instance, his father Oh Gyeong-seok was the compiler of 『Records of Three Hans Epigraphy (三韓金石錄)』 . For this reason, it was possible for Oh Se-chang to be highly trained early on in caligraphy, ephgraphy, seal engraving and other areas of liberal/fine arts as well as Chinese classics.

Actively Participating in the March 1st Movement

>In 1902, Oh Se-chang, for his involvement in the coup by Yu Gil-jun, was eventually forced to leave the country for Japan, where he met the leader of Eastern Learning Sohn Byung-hee and worked with Kwon Dong-jin and Yang Han-mook as life-long partners to form the 'Civilization' sect within the order of Eastern Learning headed by Sohn Byung-hee. In 1906, once Sohn Byung-hee established Cheondoism (天道敎), Oh Se-chang set about criticizing the pro-Japan, unpatriotic organization One Step Forward Society (一進會), serving as the president of『Mansebo News』, a Cheondoist newspaper, and the vice president of the Great Han Empire Association.
Afterwards, Oh Se-chang took on leading roles in the 1919 March 1st Movement, making significant contributions to the preparation and the nationwide expansion of the movement. In particular, as one of the national representatives to participate in the planning and the declaration of independence movement from the end of January to the end of February of 1919, he played an important role in negotiating with 11 Cheondoist figures. He also played the decisive roles, taking full charge of the printing and distribution of the Declaration of Independence.
As a teacher of Cheondoism at that time, he joined the national representatives on behalf of Cheondoism, together with Sohn Byung-hee, Kwon Dong-jin, and Choi Lin. He was appointed Siksanmugyeong (殖産務卿), a title equivalent to a present-day minister's, by the cabinet of the 'Provisional Government of the Republic of Joseon' proclaimed on April 10, when the March 1st Movement was in full swing, in Seoul in the name of the Convention of the Joseon People and the 'Joseon Independence Party Association.' However, he was arrested by the police of imperialist Japan on March 1, immediately following the declaration of independence, and imprisoned in the Seodamun Prison for nearly 3 years until he was released on parole on December 22, 1921.
During the preliminary hearing at the Gyeongseong (Seoul) District Court on April 9, 1919, Oh Se-chang said that while US President Wilson was advocating 'self-determination,' he didn't think that Wilson would allow 'Joseon' to achieve independence just because the Koreans asked for it. He added that he was well aware that large-scale independence movements, such as the March 1st Movement, were unlikely to immediately lead to independence. But he stated with confidence that he had actively participated in the independence movements in order to ensure that the Korean people as a whole as well as himself would make history and to advertise that the Koreans also wanted self-determination. By doing so, he kept his pride as a national representative.

Devoted to Cultural Movements as a Caligraphy Painter

After the March 1st Movement, he retired but remained faithful to his principles through literary and academic activities, such as collecting and appreciating caligraphy paintings and antiques, creating caligraphy works, and publishing papers on the traditional culture of Korea. Quite a few of the 33 national representatives who initiated the March 1st Movement failed to keep their principles and opted to cooperate with the Japanese Empire, but he lived in a quiet, secluded retirement. He used to be a heavy smoker and drinker but is known to have gone cold turkey once he was released from the prison. He also reportedly became a man of few words to the point where people wondered 'if keeping silent was his way of living in the age of no freedom of speech.'
In particular, he was also an accomplished caligraphy painter, making great achievements in cultural movements as well. In 1918, he joined the Caligraphy Painting Association as a founding member. And from 1922, his created works profusely for the Caligraphy Painting Association Exhibition. His calligraphical style, praised as the best of the day, became known widely through the titles and handwritings of the daily newspapers and magazines those days. A series of his activities, based on his family traditions, of collecting, preserving, and thoroughly researching our cultural heritages that were rapidly disappearing might be regarded as part of national culture protection movements.

With Korea's independence on August 15, 1945, Oh Se-chang was widely respected as an elder leader of Korean society. He was made a member of the Joseon Founding Preparatory Committee, the leader of the Korea Democratic Party, and a member of the Welcoming Committee. for the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korean and the Allied Forces. He participated in various political/social activities as vice president of the National Party, member of the Democratic Assembly, and president of the Seoul Shinmun (Newspaper). In June of 1949, despite his advanced age, he took charge of the commission for Baekbeom Kim Gu's funeral service. During the Korean War, he took refuge in Daegu but passed away in April of 1953 at age 90.
Oh Se-chang was not only the leader of the Enlightenment reform movements from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries, but also one of the 33 national representatives who initiated the March 1st Movement. He had profound pride in our national culture and high-level attainments in liberal/fine arts! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to state that he was a proud Korean even by today's standards, and also the citizen of East Asia who was deeply connected to the political/cultural context of the three countries: Korea, China, and Japan.