Kim Chwa-chin[lower-alpha 1] (Korean: 김좌진; 24 November 1889 – 24 January 1930), sometimes called by his art name Baegya, was a Korean general, independence activist, and anarchist who played an important role in the early attempts at development of anarchism in Korea.[1]

Quick Facts Born, Died ...
Kim Chwa-chin
김좌진
金佐鎭
Thumb
Born(1889-11-24)24 November 1889
Died24 January 1930(1930-01-24) (aged 40)
Spouses
  • Oh Suk-geun
  • Kim Gye-wol
  • Na Hye-guk
  • Kim Yeong-seok
ChildrenKim Du-han
Parents
  • Kim Hyeong-gyu (father)
  • Yi Sang-hee (mother)
RelativesKim Eul-dong (granddaughter)
Song Il-gook (great grandson)
Kim Ok-gyun (distant relative)
FamilyAndong Kim clan
Korean name
Hangul
김좌진
Hanja
Revised RomanizationGim Jwajin
McCune–ReischauerKim Chwajin
Art name
Hangul
백야
Hanja
Revised RomanizationBaegya
McCune–ReischauerPaegya
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Biography

When Kim was 18, he released 50 families of slaves when he publicly burned the slave registry and provided each family with enough land to live on. This was the first emancipation of slaves in modern Korea.[2]

He joined the Korea Justice Corps, which focused on Senol, took military responsibility, reorganized the definition group into the military department, and was recommended as the commander. In 1919, he, on the recommendation of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, took up the position of general commander of the Northern Military Administration Office Army (Bungnogunjeongseo in Korean).[3]

In 1928, the Korea Independence Party was formed, and in 1929, when the Korean General Association was established as the successor of the new people, Chwa-chin was designated as the President. During this process, conflicts between the nationalist and communist independence activists intensified. On 24 January 1930, Kim Jwa-jin was assassinated by Park Sang-sil, a Korean agent incited by the Japanese Colonial Government.[4]

Legacy

After the assassination of Kim Chwa-chin, the anarchist movement in Manchukuo and Korea became subject to massive repression. Japan sent armies to attack Shinmin from the south, while pro-Kuomintang forces attacked from the north. By the summer of 1931, Shinmin's most prominent anarchists were dead, and the war on two fronts was becoming untenable.[1] The anarchists went underground and anarchist Shinmin was no more.

As a leader of the Korean independence movement, Kim is remembered in both North and South Korea. In 1991, the town of Hongseong restored his birthplace. A festival is now held in his honor every October.[5]

See also

Notes and references

Bibliography

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