Heroic Corps

Heroic Corps
Leader	Kim Won-bong
Dates of operation	9 November 1919(1919-11-09)–1928(1928)
Country	Korea, Empire of Japan
Allegiance	Korean independence movement
Headquarters	Shanghai
Ideology	Anarchism
Korean name
Hangul	의열단
Hanja	Nghĩa liệt đoàn
Revised Romanization	Uiyeoldan
McCune–Reischauer	Ŭiyŏltan

TheHeroic Corpswas an organization founded in Korea in 1919, during theJapanese colonial period.Its activists believed in revolutionary uprising as well asegalitarianism.

After theMarch 1st Movementwas crushed in 1919, many independence activists moved their bases to foreign countries. However, members of the Heroic Corps thought that those organizations were too moderate and would not contribute to independence inKorea,and instead took a more radical approach by opposing compromising solutions such asculturalism.The Heroic Corps wished for a violent revolution, reflected by theManifesto of the Korean Revolution(조선혁명선언) by independence activistShin Chae-ho.The Corps struggled for independence by assassinating high-ranking Japanese officials and committing acts of terrorism against government offices. The Heroic Corps moved their base toBeijing,China and brought members toShanghaiwhere they had about 70 members in 1924.Kim Gu,Kim Kyu-sik,Kim Chang-suk,andShin Chae-howere engaged as advisers andChiang Kai-shek,President ofthe Republic of China,supported the Heroic Corps.

Goals

Leading the Corps was a 22-year-old man namedKim Won-bong(1898 –c.1958). The organization was based on ten articles of resolution, which listed seven types of individuals who must be killed and five governmental structures that must be destroyed. Their aims were to defeat the Japanese invaders (Korean:구축왜노;Hanja:Đuổi đi Oa nô), gain independence forKorea(Korean:광복조국;Hanja:Khôi phục tổ quốc), abolish class distinctions (Korean:타파계급;Hanja:Đánh vỡ giai cấp), and establish equal rights toarable land(Korean:평균지권;Hanja:Bình quân quyền sở hữu ruộng đất). Their ideals displayed a new wave of revolutionary public activity in the fight for independence in direct response to theMarch 1st Movement(Korean:3.1운동;Hanja:Tam một vận động).

Attacks

The Heroic Corps carried out their plan for the assassination of Japanese ministers and the destruction of public offices in March 1920. They attempted to carry bombs into Josean. Kwak Jae-ki, who was inManchuria,sent bombs to Kim Byung-wan. However, the bombs were confiscated by Japanese police inGyeonggi Province.Kwak Jae-ki, who was in charge, and 12 people related to this incident were arrested by Japanese police.

On 12 January 1923, bombs were thrown into theJongnoPolice station. On 17 January, Japanese police searched Sampanong (Korean:삼판통;Hanja:Tam bản thông),Kim Sang-ok's refuge. Surrounded by 20 police officers, Kim Sang-ok exchanged gunfire, killing the head of the criminal department and wounding several other police officers. He escaped the siege to hide onNamsanMountain, disguising himself as a monk, and hid inLee Hye-soo's house in Hyoje-dong (Korean:효제동;Hanja:Hiếu đễ động). On 22 January, several hundred armed policemen besieged the house. By himself, Kim Sang-ok resisted the Japanese for over three hours. He killed several policemen, including executives, before committing suicide with his last bullet. Japanese police authorities did not identify Kim Sang-ok as the bomber until after he had died.

On 28 December 1926, at 2 p.m.,Na Seok-juenteredJoseon Siksan Bank(Korean:조선식산은행;Hanja:Triều Tiên thực sản ngân hàng) and threw one bomb. Later that day, he attacked theOriental Development Company(Korean:동양척식주식회사;Hanja:Đông Dương thác thực kabushiki gaisha) by throwing bombs and spreading gunfire at random. He killed several people in the company. Five Japanese policemen chased him, and he ultimately used his gun to kill himself and avoid arrest.