뉴스레터

There is Yushukan (遊就館) next to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Japan. It is a kind of a war memorial hall that exhibits the history of Japan's invasion wars up to the Pacific War. Apparently Japan is remembering it as 'a history of proud glory,' although it is 'a history of invasion' from the viewpoint of Asians as victims. During my stay in Japan in 2000, I visited Yushukan and saw a blood-stained military uniform on display in the glass box. It belonged to General Yoshinori Shirakawa (白川義則), the commander in chief of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army who would die from the injury suffered in Yoon Bong-gil's bombing attack. Japan grieved over the death of Shirakawa, revering him as the 'God' of the Army for his leadership in the victory of the Shanghai Incident in 1932. Before his death, he was awarded with the Order of the Rising Sun and elevated to the rank of baron by the Emperor of Japan. The Shirakawa condemned as the chief instigator in the invasion of the continent and assassinated by Martyr Yoon Bong-gil was being praised as a war hero in Japan. When I visited Yushukan again later, the military uniform was gone. Perhaps it had been instructed to be removed.

From a Peasant Activist to a Revolutionary Activist

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Martyr Yoon Bong-gil's bombing attack in Hongkou Park in Shanghai. He witnessed the March 1st Movement in his hometown Deoksan in Yesan-gun in South Chungcheong Province in Korea, whereupon he decided to drop out of elementary school and attend private school Ochiseosuk to study Chinese classics. After an encounter with an illiterate peasant who had pulled out all the grave-posts in a foolish effort to identify the ones that belonged to his parents, Yoon launched himself into peasant enlightenment movement, saying that while the ignorance of a man leads to the loss of a grave, the ignorance of his people had led to the loss of his nation. A subscriber to the Dong-A Ilbo and the Gaebyeok magazine, he was exposed to new scholarship and identified national problems. He opened a night school, not only teaching Hangul but also inspiring the spirits of equality and freedom. He argued that freedom is not given but something that one gains, and made a case for the effectiveness of the popular movement of peasants and workers for freedom. He organized the Peasants Association and the Parents Society to improve farming techniques and promote group sales in an effort to increase farming household incomes. He also organized the Woljin Society designed to eradicate illiteracy and improve rural economy.
The peasant movement that he undertook with enthusiasm reached its limits when he staged 'The Rabbit and the Fox,' an adaptation of an Aesop's fable, in his night school in February 1929. The next day, he was summoned by the Deoksan police substation for warning and admonition. He realized that the independence of his people was the prerequisite for the success of the peasant enlightenment movement. He was agonizing over the limitations of the peasant movement when the anti-Japanese students movement occurred in Gwangju. At the news of the movement spread nationwide, he wrote in his journal, “Hurray for the Overthrowing of Japanese Imperialism, Hurray for the Liberation of the Weak People, and Hurray for the Abolition of Servile Education.” He added, “The Japanese of the Hamheung Irrigation Association killed three Joseon people. What a pity! I can't wait to pay back this oppression," enraged that the Koreans had been murdered by the Japanese and resolving to take revenge for this national oppression. The Gwangju Students Movement was the decisive turning point for him to switch from a peasant activist to a revolutionary activist.

His Bombing Attack Triggers Friendly Cooperation between Korea and China

On March 6, 1930, he left home for Shanghai for good after leaving his last words: 'A man does not return home alive until and unless he achieves his goal (丈夫出家生不還)' and 'Please give me a glass of water' to his wife Bae. In Shanghai, he visited Baekbeom Kim Gu, asking him for a mission like Martyr Lee Bong-chang had done, saying that he had come with 'mental bombs' in his heart. He joined the Koreans Patriots Group and pledged to slaughter Japanese enemies. Finally, on April 29, 1932, at the ceremony celebrating the victory of the Japanese Imperial Army held in Hongkou Park (present Lu Xun Park) in Shanghai, he threw bombs at General Shirakawa and Division 9 Commander Ueda among other culprits of the invasion who were celebrating their successful occupation of Shanghai.
In the 60-year history of the independence movement, no other activity was as productive as the bombing attack in Hongkou Park. The significance of Yoon Bong-gil's bombing attack lies in that it dealt a blow to the leadership of Japan, including Shirakawa the commander in chief of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army. By ruining the victory ceremony, Martyr Yoon not only disgraced Japan's victories from the Manchurian Incident up to the Shanghai Incident but humiliated Japan internationally. As President Jiang Jieshi of Taiwan put it, Martyr Yoon singlehandedly pulled off what the large Chinese army couldn't, and this is a great achievement. Yoon's bombing attack strengthened the nominal system of the provisional government of Korea. Furthermore, it prompted the Koreans living in the U.S., Hawaii, Mexico, and Cuba to pay taxes and give support for the provisional government of Korea. Another significance of Yoon's bombing attack is that it melted away the anti-Korean sentiment of the Chinese that had been worsened by the Wanbaoshan Incident. It is also significant in that it triggered the united anti-Japanese struggle of Korea and China. Additionally, it led to the talk between Jiang Jieshi and Kim Gu which resulted in Jiang's full support for the provisional government of Korea and the establishment of the special Korean class in the Luoyang Military Academy to train Korean officers. It also contributed to the formation of the united front of Korea and China in northeast China; at the news of Yoon's bombing attack on radio, Tang Chu-wu (唐聚五), the commander of the People's Self-Guard Troop of Liaoning (遼寧民衆自衛軍) of China, joined forces with Kim Hag-gyu, the chief of staff of the Korean Revolutionary Army, and led the Korea-China united battles, such as the Wing Lung Street battle, to victory. After all, Yoon's bombing attack played an important role in paving the paths of friendship and cooperation that Korea and China began to walk afterwards.

Hoping That Japan Will Open the Site of Yoon's Death to the Public to Lay the Foundation for Reconciliation with Korea

The Japanese Empire, feeling that Yoon's bombing attack had hurt their pride severely, was determined to take revenge on him. They were quick to condemn him to death on May 25, the day before Shirakawa's death. And it is confirmed that the order to shoot him dead was issued to coincide with the moment of Shirakawa's death. I think this points to their hidden intention to 'bury Yoon alive with the dead' to make Yoon pay back for the death of Shirakawa. And they took Yoon far into the remote woods of Kanazawa (金澤) for execution obviously in retaliation for the severe injury suffered by Division 9 Commander Kenkichi Ueda whose leg was amputated.
The Japanese Empire's execution of Yoon Bong-gil was inhumane; they made him kneel down before they tied him on the rack and shot him. Yoon faced a lonely death in the deep mountains with a wind blowing from the north. He appeared to be trying to remain calm. But imagine the terror and the fear he must have felt in the bleak mountains in the early morning! It was difficult to confirm the exact location of Yoon's execution because it was now located within the workshop of the Japan Self-Defense Forces where public access is denied, until, fortunately, it was found that『Manmildae Journal』owned by the Library of the National Institute for Defense Studies of Japan included the report on the execution and the map to the execution site, and the topographic map of Kanazawa published in 1933 was obtained. Now that the location of Yoon's execution site has been confirmed, we hope to visit the site for a service to remember his sacred death. A service at the site of his death would mean more than just a requiem. It would be a promise that both Korea and Japan would build the world of peace and coexistence of the East, the ultimate goal of Martyr Yoon 80 years ago. I hope that Japan will open the site of Yoon's execution to the public to lay the foundation for reconciliation and friendly future relations between Korea and Japan.