Lim Chi-jung
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (October 2012) |
| Lim Chi-jung | |
 | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 임치정 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Lim Chi Jung |
| Art name | |
| Hangul | 춘곡 |
| Hanja | |
Lim Chi Jung (임치정; 林蚩正), (September 26, 1880 – January 9, 1932), was a Korean independence activist, and one of the leaders of the New People's Association, and Korean-American immigrant community group also known as the Shinminhoe (신민회). Lim was also a newspaper executive who served as a chief administrator of the Korean newspaper group Gong-lib Shinbo, and acted as secretary in The Korea Daily News [대한매일신보(大韓每日申報)].
He supported the Korean Independence Movement by organizing campaigns in the United States, and also by managing newspaper groups which spread the awareness of Japanese oppression and the necessity of Korean independence.
In 1968, he was posthumously awarded Order of Merit for National Foundation and in 2007, Korea’s Ministry of Patriots' and Veterans' Affairs (South Korea) further recognized Lim's achievement by naming him as its ‘Independence Movement Fighter of the Month.’
Biography
Born in 1880 in the region of Pyong Aang Nam-Do, Korea, Lim spent around seven to eight years of his childhood and adolescence pursuing his education before leaving school in 1900. Three years later, at the age of 23, Lim signed a labor immigration list and traveled to Oahu, Hawaii. There, he worked on a plantation and in his spare time he immersed himself in his books – in particular, he enjoyed learning about new cultures. It was during this period that Lim cultivated his nationalistic feelings towards his own country.
By 1904, Lim had moved into San Francisco where he formally began learning English. As his studies continued, Lim met Ahn Chang-ho - a Korean independence activist and one of the early leaders of the Korean-American immigrant community in the United States.
Participation of the Korean Independence movement in the U.S.
At the end of the Russo-Japanese war in 1905, the Japanese expanded their territory by invading and colonizing Korea. Horrified that his country’s sovereignty was under threat, Lim decided to act. He, Ahn, and other like-minded Koreans formed a group which later became the New People's Association, a clandestine organization whose aim was to foster the independence and national strength of the Korean Empire. The main purpose of the group was to spread nationalism to fellow Koreans and Korean-Americans living in America.
By November 1905, Korea had been pressured into signing the Eulsa Treaty, a treaty that handed full control of the Korean peninsula to Japan. When word of this event reached America, Lim and others branched out by forming a newspaper called Gong-lib Shinbo.
The New People's Association served as the unofficial Korean consulate in America while Korea was under Japan’s dominance. Lim and the New People's Association used Gong-lib Shinbo to support their country’s fight for independence by campaigning for their country and spread national pride.
By then, the Japanese had full control over Korea, but their influence and dominance did not stretch as far as American soil. This meant there was little the Japanese government could do about the activities of the New People's Association in the U.S. The Japanese Consulate tried to keep an eye on the group, and other movements deemed to be suspicious, by placing them under constant surveillance. However, after they were sent a warning letter by New People's Association, the Japanese backed off.
In 1906, Lim’s comrade Ahn Chang-ho returned to Korea, bringing the New People's Association with him. It established bases in Pyongyang and Seoul. Soon after, branches emerged nationwide. They supported education, industrialization, and military action for independence. However, the activities of the New People’s Association did not go unnoticed by the Japanese who were determined to quash any pro-independence movements.
In 1907, Lim had followed Ahn and returned to his homeland.
In 1910, Lim was implicated after an attempt was made to assassinate Masatake Terauchi, the Governor-General of Korea (Chôsen Sôtoku). A young Korean man named An Myeong-Gun, was alleged to have attempted to shoot Terauchi at Suncheon[disambiguation needed] Station. An was a cousin of An Jung-geun, a Korean independence activist who assassinated Itō Hirobumi (伊藤博文), the first Prime Minister of Japan and then-Japanese Resident-General of Korea in 1906.
The event would later become known as the Suncheon Incident or the 105 man incident.
After the failed attempt, Government-General of Korea (Chôsen Sôtokufu) arrested over 700 Koreans, many of whom were Christians. In 1912, the Governor-General sent 122 of those arrested to the Court of Justice, and 105 of them were sentenced to imprisonment with hard labor. In the end, only six Koreans had their sentences imposed, but even they were released in 1915 after being granted amnesty.
It was claimed that the plot was fabricated by the Japanese authorities to weaken and discredit the Korean independence movement. Certainly, after the failed attempt to assassinate Terauchi, the New People’s Association came under heavy scrutiny. After Lim and other key members of the New People’s Association were captured, the organization was disbanded which strengthened Japanese control over Korea.
March 1st Movement
In February 1919, after two Korean independence fighters - Jung Shung Kyong and Lee Sung Hun – were jailed, Lim helped to organized a massive campaign for Korean Independence Movement. Lim, and other members of the New People's Association set about planning the mass protest against Japanese occupation. The March 1st Movement, or Samil Movement, was one of the earliest public displays of Korean resistance during the occupation of the Korean Empire by Japan. At precisely 2pm on March 1, 1919, Lim's comrades began their four-week long protest in Nampho, North Korea. When the campaign was over, blood had been spilled, and many of the protesters had landed in jail, but there was a major shift in imperial policy towards Korea. Following the campaign, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. Although Lim was not directly involved in the protested, he recognized as one of its architects and widely praised for his role in organizing it.
Death and Legacy
In 1923, in order to continue Korean independence movement, Lim and his fellow activists established another newspaper Shi Dae Ilbo. Lim, worked as head of the group to help to spread the words of Korean independence throughout the Korean Peninsula.
Lim retired in 1928 when the newspaper stopped publishing due to internal conflicts and pressure from the Japanese. By then, Lim’s dedication to the Korean Independence movement had begun to take a toll on his health. He became distressed by Japan’s stranglehold over his country, and the inability of the Korean independence movement to loosen it. As such, he turned to alcohol as a way of coping with he pain and stress.
On January 9, 1932, Lim died of cerebral hemorrhage in Seodaemun, Seoul. After news of his death spread, Dong-A Ilbo (or East Asia Daily) published newspaper to commemorate his death and achievements, they called him “An important leader of Korean independence.”
In 1968, the Korean government officially recognized Lim's efforts for the Korean independence movement by awarding him with the Order of Merit for National Foundation, an honor typically reserved for those who contributed to the founding of the modern Republic of Korea. Specifically, Lim was awarded the grade of Dongnip Jang (독립장) or the ‘Order of Independence’.
In January 2007, Korea’s Ministry of Patriots' and Veterans' Affairs (South Korea) further recognized Lim's achievement by presenting him as an Independence Movement Fighter of the Month.
References
"Lim Chi Jung," Naver [1] (2011.01.25) "Independence Movement Fighter of the Month (Jan 2007) Lim Chi Jung" [1] (2007.01.07) "January 2007 Independence Movement Fighter of the Month Lim Chi Jung" [2] (2006.12.29)