The Epochal Lessons offered by Ahn Jung-geun

Sohn Yong-woo

Policy Committee Member at the Hansun Foundation

The Spirit of Ahn Jung-geun

March 26 marked the 114th anniversary of the martyrdom of Ahn Jung-geun, His sacrificial devotion and exemplary life were the cornerstone and catalyst for the movements of independence and nation-building. His resonance continued through the March 1st Movement, which spread the ideals of freedom and civil rights worldwide, the declaration of national sovereignty through the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, and the birth of the Republic of Korea government as a liberal democratic republic for the construction of a modern nation-state.

Ahn Jung-geun, though his life was short, lived as a true leader and patriot dedicated to reviving the national spirit with a sense of ownership over the cause of Korean independence. He lived by the firm belief, “Even if a strong man should die, his heart is like iron, and even if a righteous man faces peril, his spirit is like the clouds.”

Ahn Jung-geun stood steadfastly in his rightful place before the destiny of the nation, seeking the path of righteous action and practice, even in the face of imminent danger. Wealth did not shake him and the hardships of anti-Japanese struggle could not sway his unwavering love for his country. Even in the face of Japan's power and dominance, his indomitable will remained unyielding. Even at the moment of death, he did not forsake the firm commitment he made to his country and himself.

Ahn Jung-geun had the robust nature of the strong heavens, firm and spirited, with a majestic air of justice. At the same time, he possessed the benevolence of the earth’s nature, being harmonious, gentle, and magnanimous. Ahn Jung-geun was truly a great man and a model of the noble gentleman.

Ahn Jung-geun administered strict justice against the heinous crimes of the elderly thief Ito Hirobumi. However, he arranged for the humanitarian release of Japanese military prisoners captured on the battlefield in accordance with international law. Ahn Jung-geun practiced what he preached about encouraging good and punishing evil, in accordance with the principles of justice and benevolence. Just as such, Ahn Jung-geun’s love for his country and the spirit of the times will continue to resonate in the future.

Ahn Jung-geun's Oriental Peace Theory

Ahn Jung-geun's Oriental Peace Theory embodies the spirit of balance and harmony, emphasizing the spirit of moderation and the great middle way. It also embodies the belief that "Without far-reaching thoughts, it is difficult to achieve great accomplishments." In 1910, while facing imminent execution in Lushun Prison, Ahn Jung-geun wrote his Oriental Peace Theory.

He argued that true peace in the East can only be achieved if Korea, China, and Japan do not invade each other and maintain their independent sovereignty while uniting together. The Oriental Peace Theory emphasizes peaceful coexistence and shared mutual prosperity among the nations of East Asia. It is a grand discourse and a visionary strategy for a hundred years.

The Oriental Peace Theory embodies the longstanding Korean philosophy of Hongik Ingan, which aims to benefit all humanity. Hongik Ingan embodies the founding ideology and cosmic worldview of ancient Korea, encompassing humanism and pacifism. Ahn Jung-geun is fully inheriting and developing this spirit in his Oriental Peace Theory.

"The founding proclamation of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, established in November 1941, adopts the spirit of Hongik Ingan as the basic ideology of national construction. The Constitution of the Republic of Korea inherits this spirit, and Hongik Ingan is explicitly mentioned in the Basic Education Act." (『Fair and square, Republic of Korea, 2021』)

The late professor Park Se-il has emphasized that the philosophy of Hongik Ingan is not only an idea for the unification of the Korean peninsula but also a concept for the East Asian community, and furthermore, it can become the philosophy of humanity in the 21st century.

The Oriental Peace Theory presents us with tasks

Our history has seen a millennium of division and fragmentation, including the Three Kingdoms period and the Japanese colonial era. However, for about five thousand years, we maintained an era of unification as the Korean ethnic community. If about a hundred years ago, the Korean Peninsula regressed from unification to division, now is the time to move from division to unification. Ahn Jung-geun's Oriental Peace Theory is a dream and goal that we should achieve, but it has become a difficult task without the reunification of the Korean Peninsula. What should be done?

A revolutionary paradigm shift in North Korea's policy and unification policy is needed. It is now time to actively pursue a modernization project that transforms North Korea from a pre-modern monarchy into a modern nation-state. Thus, we must build a society where principles such as freedom, human rights, happiness, and community spirit operate vibrantly across North Korea.

The North Korean federation’s theory of unification was from the beginning a deceptive tactic of the united front for communist unification, and its essence is forced unification. Kim Jong-un declared the abolition of his predecessors’ theory of unification, but this too is a strategy and a trick. North Korea’s theory of forced unification will not stop as long as the Kim dynasty does not end.

The union-based theory of unification, which is the basis of South Korea’s national community unification plan, has faced limitations due to the strengthening of North Korea’s irreversible hereditary dictatorship. It is neither correct nor feasible for South Korea to form a union with North Korea’s totalitarian regime.

In short, past governments have been content with the theory of division management and have not been able to actively pursue a theory of unification that normalizes North Korea. Now is the time to rightly set new policies toward North Korea and unification policies aimed at a major transformation of North Korea.

The Oriental Peace Theory is the path of justice and coexistence that East Asia, where the Cold War is not yet over, should take. It is the path to liberate North Korean compatriots from the Kim dynasty, to eliminate the totalitarian and authoritarian governments of China and Russia that go against the times, to achieve the great tasks of free unification, advanced unification, and Hongik unification, and to build coexistence and co-prosperity in Northeast Asia and the community concept of East Asia. This is precisely the path to complete full independence and unfinished nation-building of the Republic of Korea, which is the 100-year-old legacy of Ahn Jung-geun.