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Han Si-jun, Honorary Professor of History at Dankook University

He graduated from Dankook University and the same graduate school and received his Ph.D. in 「Research on the Korean Independence Army」(1993) from Inha University Graduate School. He has been the president of the Association for Korean Modern and Contemporary History, the director of the Institute of Korean Independence Movement Studies(The Independence Hall of Korea), the director of the Baekbeom Academy, the director of the Academy of Asian Studies(Dankook University), a member of the Contribution Judgment Committee of meritorious persons(Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs), and a member of the Modern Cultural Heritage Committee(Cultural Heritage Administration). He has also received an Wolbong Award and Academic Award from the Independence Hall of Korea.

Q. It is an honor to meet the pioneers of the field of researching of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Independence Army. I would like you to explain what the provisional government means in the process of establishing the Republic of Korea and the fundamental reason why we were able to build a democratic country through it.

A. We have changed and developed history in the process of independence movement. A typical example is the establishment of a country called ‘the Republic of Korea’. So, the independence movement should not be limited to a struggle to regain the land and sovereignty that have been taken away by Japanese imperialism. The Provisional Government, which was built in 1919, changed the history of monarchy, which has lasted more than 4,000 years, to the history of national sovereignty. In other words, it changed the history of the monarchy to the history of the democratic republic. This was a breakthrough in the era of the people’s sovereignty. The Provisional Government made it clear in Article 1 of the Korean Provisional Charter of the Constitution(l919) that it is “The Republic of Korea shall be a democratic Republic”. It is thanks to the provisional government that we can live in Korea for 100 years. The National Memorial of Korean Provisional Government is also intended to remember the activities and history of the Provisional Government as the starting point for democracy and to pass it on to our descendants.

Q. If the history of the Republic of Korea is closely related to the history of the provisional government, it should be considered that the Korean Independence Army, the army of the provisional government, has also changed from the army of the monarch to the army of the people. So how can we define the relationship between Korean Empire - Provisional Government - Republic of Korea, the Independence Forces - Korean Independence Army - Republic of Korea Armed Forces?

A. According to the records of the Constitutional Assembly, the Korean government established in 1948 inherited the provisional government. The Korean Independence Army, an army of the Provisional Government, celebrated its 80th anniversary this year, but we still do not understand or evaluate the Korean Independence Army. It means that the relationship between the Korean Independence Army and the history of the Republic of Korea is not clearly defined and the historical status of the Korean Independence Army is not properly identified. Even since we do not know exactly the roots of the ROK Armed Forces, there are parts that undermine the significance of the Korean Independence Army. So recently, I think that the ROK Armed Forces were founded with a spiritual origin in the Korean Independence Army during the independence movement.

The U.S. military government tried to bring Lee Cheong-cheon(real name Ji Cheong-cheon), the commander-in-chief of the Korean Independence Army, to Korea and take on a key role in founding the armed forces. At that time, however, Lee Cheong-cheon led the protection of the lives and property of our compatriots in China and the reorganization of the Korean youth in China to the Korean Independence Army. So he recommended General Yoo Dong-yeol, the chief of staff of the Provisional Government, on his behalf. So the U.S. military government appointed Yoo Dong-yeol as the head of the unification department and Song Ho-sung, the commander of the 2nd district of the Korean Independence Army, as the commander of the National Constabulary.

There are some criticisms of President Lee Seung-man, but his historical consciousness was clear. He appoints General Lee Beom-seok, who was the core of the Korean Independence Army, as the first Minister of National Defense. He also appointed General Choi Young-duk, the chief of the Korean Independence Army and the commander of the Chinese army and Nanchang Air Force. After the establishment of the Korean government, the name of Joseon Security Academy is changed to Korea Military Academy and the former of the Korean Independence Army is continuously appointed as the principal. It is clear that the main and core of the ROK Armed Forces is the Korean Independence Army, and that our ROK Armed Forces are in context with the Independence Forces and the Korean Independence Army. Based on this, I think that if the in-depth research is carried out, the problem of the legitimacy of the ROK Armed Forces and the historical roots can be established.

Q. I heard that the Korean Independence Army had a lot of difficulties when it was founded in China.

A. In fact, no one can organize and arm their troops in the territory of other countries. However, the provisional government organized an independence forces in Manchuria and established Joseon Volunteer Corps, Korean Youths Battlefield Mission Corps and Korean Independence Army in China. China said it would have command over the Korean Independence Army, an army of other countries operating within its territory. Of course, the provisional government does not accept the opinions of the Chinese government and establishes the Korean Independence Army without the approval of the Chinese Military Committee.

So China sends a clause consisting of nine norms that "the Korean Independence Army belongs to the Chinese Military Committee and is under the command of the committee." It was the norms that the Korean Independence Army should observe. So the Korean Independence Army fiercely resisted, "We can not be Chinese mercenaries, we should abolish the Korean Independence Army ourselves." However, in reality, it took the approval of the Chinese Military Committee to do military activities in China, the territory of other countries. So the Korean Independence Army eventually accepts the nine norms proposed by China. Since then, the Korean Independence Army has constantly negotiated with China to hand over the authority to our troops. It was August 1944 that Chiang Kai-shek approved it, and in May 1945, a related statute was established to exercise full command. From then on, the Korean Independence Army had complete sovereignty without Chinese control.

Q. So what are the people who founded and operated the Korean Independence Army? And how wide were their activities?

A. People who have trained military officers of independence forces at the Sinheung Military Academy, Korean youth who graduated from the Chinese military academy and participated in military training, and those who organized the independence forces in Manchuria and fought with the Japanese army are the main players of the Korean Independence Army.

The Provisional Government convenes a Cabinet meeting on November 3, 1919. They plan the Independence War and create a temporary system for the operation of the ROK Army for the war. And they plan to incorporate young people aged 20 to 40 in Manchuria and the Maritime Province, where many Korean compatriots live, into soldiers and recruit troops. In order to train commanders, they temporarily established the ROK Army Military Academy under the Ministry of Military Affairs. And in 1920, it was declared the first year of the Independence War. A few years ago, Kim Sik-deok, a National Museum of Korean Contemporary History, unearthed a calendar produced by the provisional government. The calendar shows the horseman standing at the front, and the armed independence forces following him into the Independence Arch. They strongly expressed the message “We go to Seoul with the independence army and fight for independence” through the picture.

The Korean Independence Army declared the restoration of their organization in May 1946, and it was maintained for 10 months after liberation until it declared dissolution. We need to study the period. They had a determined will to somehow save compatriots. So they worked to protect the lives and property of compatriots in China. And they did the job of saving Korean youths and sending them back to Korea after Japan was defeated. They have performed their duties as the Korean Armed Forces. In the future, I think it is necessary to find the role, system and meaning of the Korean Independence Army.

Q. I wonder how much data remains on the Provisional Government or the Korean Independence Army.

A. The Provisional Government has produced many documents as a government, but there are no original documents. The Korean Independence Army also lasted for more than six years from its founding in September 1940 until its dissolution declaration in May 1946, but there is no record. The key figures of the Provisional Government brought 13 leather bags with related documents, all of which were lost during the Korean War. No one knows where the documents are now.

The daughter of General Lee Cheong-cheon, the commander of the Korean Independence Army, said, “My father brought in the documents related to the Korean Independence Army and kept them in the reception room of my father’s house. When we went to the evacuation during the Korean War and came home, all the documents in the reception room disappeared. That was probably taken by the People’s Army.” I also think that the People’s Army may have taken both the provisional government documents and the data related to the Korean Independence Army.

Q. You estimated several places where there would be data on the Provisional Government and the Korean Independence Army. Among them, you said that the most likely place is Shanghai and North Korea, and I wonder why.

A. Many people have been trying to find documents related to the Provisional Government and the Korean Independence Army. We didn't find the document, but we can guess where it is. If the documents taken by Japan in 1932 were not burned, they would be in the archives of Shanghai, China, and the documents that were missing during the Korean War would likely be in the Inmin University Learning Center in North Korea. But even if North Korea has the document, it will not be easily given to us. If the provisional government is historically recognized because North Korea provides related data, the legitimacy of national history will be in the south. South Korea and North Korea have different understandings of independence movement history and differ opinions on it. That's why, unless that part is coordinated, it won't be easy to get through.

Q. 『The State Book of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea』, which you compiled in 1999, has many implications in many ways. From your perspective, which has pioneered the field of independent movement history research, I would like to hear the analysis method of related data and the future direction of research.

A. One of the most basic topics in researching government is law. Democracy is maintained and operated by the Constitution. The Provisional Government established the nation that was given sovereignty to the people for the first time in Korean history and established a democratic republican government. And they proclaimed the Provisional Charter(Constitution). To understand the system of government, and the way government operates, we need to look at many laws and regulations, including the Constitution, the Ministerial Order, and the Presidential Decree. There are not many original documents, so it is 『The State Book of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea』 that compiles the Constitution and laws of the provisional government. The Constitutional Assembly, which was formed after the provisional government, did not renew the Constitution. The Constitution is a succession and reconstruction of the provisional government, so it will be very meaningful in itself. However, since more data has been unearthed since then, it is necessary to supplement that part. What I'm sorry about is that there are many tasks to be studied extensively in the case of the provisional government or the Korean Independence Army, and there are many topics that need to be studied. The reason why independent movement research should be activated is clear. Even when we were deprived of our country by Japanese imperialism and colonized, we pursued the independence movement of the nation itself with a clear strategy. So we have to recognize the independence movement as the center of modern and contemporary Korea and find its meaning.

The data related to the independence movement are usually translated from information collected and reported by Japanese sources. So if we study it based on this, we can not understand the history of the independence movement properly. There are still many historical data we don't know. Finding data related to the provisional government is also necessary to study the provisional government, but it is very important to correct the system and context of our national history and establish the historical legitimacy of the Republic of Korea.

Q. If there is anything you want from NAHF regarding the study of independence movement history, please tell us.

A. NAHF needs to revive the historical experiences shared by Korea and China and highlight that the two countries have a history of common fate. In the first half of the 20th century, Korea was deprived of its country by Japanese imperialism, and China was invaded by Japanese imperialism. From now on, we need to study and organize the common experiences of both countries, which Korea and China have defeated and prevented Japanese invasions. It would be good if Korea and China could publish a collection of data together by discovering these cases and data with NAHF as the main axis. The book contains the contents and meaning that Korea and China are communities with the same fate. When we realize that both countries have common interests and have the same historical fate, many problems can be solved by themselves. Not only does it inform China that there is a historical consensus in both countries, but we also need to know that. I think it would be good for this study to continue.