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Lee Hoi-Young as Remembered from the Period of Colonial Rule

The more appropriate title of Lee Hoi-young in the modern history of Korea would be revolutionary than independence activist. Indeed, his whole life was devoted to not just achieving independence of his nation but creating a world of equality and freedom for the mankind according his conviction.
Lee Hoi-young was born in Seoul in April 21, 1876, three months after Japan coerced Joseon, threatening with six battleships, to sign the Treaty of Gangwhado and consequently open its ports. Japan's intentions were to take complete control of Joseon and turn it into a bridgehead for their invasion of the Asian continent. The politicians of Joseon were prisoners of their own world of Little China (小中華), blind to the lurking danger of the times and reluctant to embrace the changing world. By contrast, Lee was committed to the traditional spirit of Joseon scholars as defenders of the state: "Only work for your country, but never for yourself. Don't be afraid of hardships and taking action when faced with a challenge."
In 1896, when he was 20 years of age, the beleaguered Joseon lost its queen to Japanese assassins that broke into its palace and had its king flee to the Russian Legation. When his still feudal country was belatedly beginning to modernize, Lee Hoi-young joined the Korean Independence Club, opening his eyes to the ideas of enlightenment and independence, democracy, and civil rights. At the same time, he realized that protecting national sovereignty was crucial to ensure independence, freedom, and integrity in the life of the people of the Korean Empire.
The Korean Peninsular is situated in a strategically important location bordering Manchuria, the Maritime Territory, and the Pacific. For this reason, Japan set out to fulfill its ambition of taking exclusive control of the Korean Peninsula. Japan's 'Out of Asia' plan was made clear to the Western powers early on, and Japan, considering itself on a par with the Western imperialists, worked on the detailed plans to invade East Asia. In order to fulfill their ambitions of dominating Asia and colonizing East Asia, Japan claimed to be the only defender of peace in Asia capable of fending off Russia's downward march. In the process, Joseon's attempt to become a neutral country was thwarted, and Japan, after going as far as to wage war with Russia, acquired the exclusive right to rule over the Korean peninsular under the Treaty of Portsmouth. As a result, Japan no longer needed the flimsy excuses of defending peace in the East and supporting the independence of Joseon within it. Following the coerced conclusion of the 1905 Eulsa Treaty, Lee Hoi-young joined forces with young patriots to campaign for the annulment of the Treaty and bring justice to the Five Enemies as a wakeup call to the world, all in an effort to stop Imperialist Japan's invasion of Korea. They planned to disclose the deceptiveness of Japan's claim to be the defender of peace in the East and dispatch special envoys to the Hague Peace Conference of world powers, on behalf of the helpless emperor trapped in the palace and under the threat of Japan, to plead against Japan's invasion of Korea. However, Japan deposed Emperor Gwangmu and disbanded the Korean army, eliminating all the symbols of the cause of Korean independence. Through what they call 'annexation with Korea,' Imperialist Japan made Korea its colony.Lee Hoi-young participated in organizing the New People's Association in 1907, campaigning to defend the sovereignty of his falling nation. But his desperate calls for the independence of Korea were meager in comparison with Japan's ambitions of invading the Asian continent.

Lee Hoi-Young Builds a New Community and Chooses the Path to Armed Struggle

Lee Hoi-young and his five brothers and their families decided to move to a place out of the reach of Imperialist Japan's authority where they would set up a military base for long-term armed struggle against Japan to restore Korea's independence. In the middle of snowy and frigid winter, after selling everything they had, they went on a journey across Abrok River(the Yalu) before arriving at the predetermined destination in Samwonpo, Yuha Prefecture in Seogando, Manchuria, where they established an academy of Chinese classics and launched a new Korean community.

Feeling guilty and responsible for the fall of his nation, Lee Hoi-young founded the Shinheung School (renamed Shinheung Military Academy in 1919) to train young bloods to fight in independence war against Imperialist Japan. The establishment and operation of the Shinheung Military Academy was financed by the independence fund set up with the entire fortunes of Woodang and his five brothers Geon-young, Seok-young, Cheol-young, Si-young, and Ho-young. Their objective was to restore national sovereignty by building a community in Manchuria, the old land of Korean ancestors, and launching armed struggle against Japan. But they had to first protect the rights and interests of Koreans residing in Manchuria and help them settle down in peace. Despite their struggle to create a successful military base for independence movement, the conditions for independence movement were getting worse due to the formation of the Russo-Japanese alliance with the outbreak of World War I. Such an extreme situation didn't stop Lee Hoi-young from seeking various options for independence movement. He planned to exile the deposed Emperor Gwangmu to Manchuria and build a government in exile around the emperor to pursue national unification. Although this plan was foiled due to the unexpected death of Emperor Gwangmu, the news of the March 1st Movement that immediately followed raised him up once again.
After the March 1st Movement, the reputation of the Shinheung Military Academy spread across Korea, and many youths came to the academy to receive military training for officers of the Independence Army. Graduates of the Shineung Military Academy became leaders of armed struggle within the bounds of China and Manchuria. Their strong spirit of independence was continued as the indomitable national spirit, and became the origin of the history of Korean armed struggle for independence against Japan.

Lee Hoi-Young Sees the Future in Free Association

When the March 1st Movement triggered campaigns to establish a provisional Korean government overseas, Lee Hoi-young was among those who joined the campaign to establish a provisional government of Korea in Shanghai. But he was deeply disappointed by the factional strife that engulfed the provisional government, and refused to become part of the governmental organization. When the success of the Russian Revolution gave rise to the Soviet Union and then to the Cornitern, Lee Hoi-young regarded their rise as another aspect of totalitarianism, feeling repulsed by communism, a popular 'new ideology' at that time. He left Shanghai for Beijing and reexamined his independence movement plans and lines so far. Lee Hoi-young was rooted in Confucian thought, until he was exposed to anarchism in Beijing. Anarchism struck him as a new gospel free from any irrationality. He accepted anarchism without much resistance because the path of revolution toward absolute freedom by free association, neither coercing nor being subject to any suppression, and freeing the people and overthrowing the imperialist power, was consistent with his envisioned path. Anarchism appealed to him because it stimulated both his strong resistance to the irrational times and liberal ideas existing within his faith. An advocate of equality and the liberation of workers, Lee Hoi-young rejected communism as the system of dictatorship and power, and envisioned a world of mutual aid based on free association by free will. And he chose the path to uncompromising struggle and revolution against Imperialist Japan, the embodiment of violent power that interfered with making such a world a reality.
Lee Hoi-young's place in Beijing was like an oasis in the desert, for any Korean visiting Beijing to stop by and/or stay, including Danjae Shin Chae-ho and Shimsan Kim Chang-sook and other nationalists, socialists, anarchists, and those engaged in heroic struggle, for discussion and sharing thoughts on the future of the people until late at night. Even in extreme poverty, he maintained dignity as a revolutionary, and organized the Chinese Korean Anarchist League and published the official organ, inspiring many youths to work for national independence and build an independent country.

The Place of His Patriotic Death and His Significance in East Asian History

Japan deliberately caused the 'Manchurian Incident in 1931 and used conflicts between the Korean and Chinese peoples to take complete control of the Northeastern region (Manchuria) of China. Seeing through Japan's hidden intentions, Lee Hoi-young relocated to Manchuria, determined to interrupt Japan to defend Manchuria and reestablish it as an outpost for independence movement. But Japan, having obtained intelligence, arrested Lee Hoi-young as he got off the ship that arrived at Dailan Port in China in November 1932, and sent him to the Lushun Prison, where Lee Hoi-young was interrogated by the Japanese police and tortured to death on November 17. The family of Lee Hoi-young from the ruling class had practiced noblesse oblige, committing themselves to the cause of their people and country without seeking personal wealth and glory, with tragic results. Only one of six sons in the family, Lee Si-young the fifth. came back to the country when Korea was liberated.
It has been already sixty-seven years since the end of the Second World War and the liberation of Korea. Even after all these years, the memory of the colonial period has not been completely erased from the mind of Koreans. Korea is still in historical conflict with Japan over the distorted history textbook, and with China over the Northeast Project. While its historical trauma is not completely healed, the East Asian world in the 21st century is being called upon to work toward historical reconciliation and cooperation. If there was any person we should remember in order to resolve conflicts and share a common historical perception among the peoples of Korea, China, and Japan, it would be Lee Hoi-young. He envisioned a world free from oppression. The irrational past is not to be buried but to be looked back on to identify the lies and irregularities within. The East Asian society should remember imperialism, which is no more than violence, exploitation, clash, competition and dictatorship, and totalitarianism but was disguised as 'peace' and justice' during the irrational times, as a legacy of the past, and make concerted effort to find historical truths and share the correct historical perception. The East Asian Community should now remember the footsteps of Lee Hoi-young, who envisioned a world of peace, reconciliation, mutual-aid, and harmony where factions, conflict, and confrontation are transcended and the free will of individuals respected.