An Jung-geun

An's parents

An was born on 2 September 1879, in Haeju, Hwanghae Province, Joseon. He was the first son of An Taehun (안태훈; 安泰勳) and Cho Maria (조마리아, 趙性女), of the Sunheung Ahn clan (순흥 안씨; 順興 安氏). Ahn is the 26th great-grandson of Ahn Hyang. His childhood name was An Eungchil (안응칠; 安應七; [ɐn ɯŋtɕʰiɭ]). The name originated from seven dots on the chest and stomach, meaning that it was born in accordance with the energy of the Big Dipper.[5] As a boy, he learned Chinese literature and Western sciences, but was more interested in martial arts and marksmanship. Kim Gu (김구; 金九), a future leader of the Korean independence movement who had taken refuge in An Tae-hun's house at the time, wrote that young An Jung-geun was an excellent marksman, liked to read books, and had strong charisma.[6]

French priest Wilhelm

At the age of 16, An entered the Catholic Church with his father, where he received his baptismal name "Thomas" (토마스), and learned French. While fleeing from the Japanese, An took refuge with a French priest of the Catholic Church in Korea named Wilhelm (Korean name, Hong Seok-gu; 홍석구; 洪錫九) who baptized and hid him in his church for several months. The priest encouraged An to read the Bible and had a series of discussions with him. He maintained his belief in Catholicism until his death, going to the point of even asking his son to become a priest in his last letter to his wife.[7]

At the age of 25, he started a coal business, but devoted himself to the education of Korean people after the Eulsa Treaty by establishing private schools in northwestern regions of Korea. He also participated in the National Debt Repayment Movement. In 1907 he exiled himself to Vladivostok to join in with the armed resistance against the Japanese colonial rulers, where he learned fluent Russian. He was appointed a lieutenant general of an armed Korean resistance group and led several attacks against Japanese forces before his eventual defeat.

An in 1906

Itō Hirobumi (second on the left) before being gunned down by An

In October 1909, An passed the Imperial Japanese guards at the Harbin Railway Station. Itō Hirobumi had come back from negotiating with the Russian representative on the train. An shot him three times with an FN M1900 pistol on the railway platform. He also shot Kawagami Toshihiko (川上俊彦), the Japanese Consul General,[8] Morita Jirō (森泰二郞), a Secretary of Imperial Household Agency, and Tanaka Seitarō (田中淸太郞), an executive of South Manchuria Railway, who were seriously injured. After the shooting, An yelled out for Korean independence in Russian, stating "Корея! Ура!" (Korea! Hurrah!), and waving the Korean flag.

Afterwards, An was arrested by Russian guards who held him for two days before turning him over to Japanese colonial authorities. When he heard the news that Itō had died, he made the sign of the cross in gratitude. An was quoted as saying, "I have ventured to commit a serious crime, offering my life for my country. This is the behavior of a noble-minded patriot."[7] Wilhelm gave last rites to An, ignoring the bishop of Korea's order not to. An insisted that the captors call him by his baptismal name, Thomas.

In court, An claimed to be a lieutenant general of the Korean resistance army and demanded to be treated as a prisoner of war and not a suspected criminal. He insisted he did nothing wrong, reciting a list of 15 execution-worthy offenses he believed Itō had committed.[9] An mistakenly believed Itō had ordered the assassination of Empress Myeongseong, an order which is attributed to Miura Gorō, although Miura Gorō did send a report to Itō after the execution.[10][11]

"15 reasons why Itō Hirobumi should be killed.

1. Assassinating the Korean Empress Myeongseong
2. Dethroning the Emperor Gojong
3. Forcing 14 unequal treaties on Korea
4. Massacring innocent Koreans
5. Usurping the authority of the Korean government by force
6. Plundering Korean railroads, mines, forests, and rivers
7. Forcing the use of Japanese banknotes
8. Disbanding the Korean armed forces
9. Obstructing the education of Koreans
10. Banning Koreans from studying abroad
11. Confiscating and burning Korean textbooks
12. Spreading a rumor around the world that Koreans wanted Japanese protection
13. Deceiving the Japanese Emperor by saying that the relationship between Korea and Japan was peaceful when in truth it was full of hostility and conflicts
14. Breaking the peace of Asia
15. Assassinating the Emperor Kōmei.[12][10]

I, as a lieutenant general of the Korean resistance army, killed the criminal Itō Hirobumi because he disturbed the peace of the Orient and estranged the relationship between Korea and Japan. I hoped that if Korea and Japan be friendlier and are ruled peacefully, they would be a model all throughout the five continents. I did not kill Itō misunderstanding his intentions."

An's Japanese captors showed sympathy to him. He recorded in his autobiography that the public prosecutor, Mizobuchi Takao, exclaimed "From what you have told me, it is clear that you are a righteous man of East Asia. I can't believe a sentence of death will be imposed on a righteous man. There's nothing to worry about." He was also given New Year's delicacies and his calligraphy was highly admired and requested.[7] After six trials, An was sentenced to death by the Japanese colonial court in Ryojun (Port Arthur). An was angered at the sentence, though he expected this outcome.[7] He had hoped to be viewed as a prisoner of war instead of an assassin.[7] On the same day of sentencing at two o'clock in the afternoon, his two brothers Jeong-geun and Gong-geun met with him to deliver their mother's message, "Your death is for the sake of your country, and don't ask for your life in a cowardly manner. Your brave death for justice is final filial regard to your mother."[13]

Judge Hirashi, who presided over An's trial, had promised An that a stay of execution for at least a few months would be granted, but Tokyo ordered prompt action. Before his execution, An made a final request: that the wardens help him finish his essay, "On Peace in East Asia". Also he received Korean white clothes from his mother to die in during his execution. An requested to be executed as a prisoner of war, by firing squad. But instead, it was ordered that he should be hanged as a common criminal. An was executed in Ryojun, on 26 March 1910. His grave in Lu Shun has not been found.[14]

During his imprisonment, An was excommunicated by the Catholic church for Ito's assassination, viewed negatively by the church. This excommunication was lifted posthumously in 1993.[15]

An dictated in his will that his body be buried in Harbin Park in China and then relocated to his homeland if Korea achieved independence but his request was not honoured.[16] According to records, he was buried near the prison; the Korean government has not received cooperation from the Japanese government regarding the location of his burial.[17] Hyochang Park in Seoul contains a grassy mound that serves as an honorary grave for An.[18]

An strongly believed in the union of the three great countries in East Asia, China, Korea, and Japan in order to counter and fight off Western imperialism, namely, Western countries that controlled parts of Asia, and restore East Asian independence. He followed the progress of Japan during the Russo-Japanese War and claimed that he and his compatriots were delighted at hearing of the defeat of one of the agents of western imperialism, but were disappointed that the war ended before Russia was totally subjugated.

According to Donald Keene, author of Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852–1912, An Jung-Geun was an admirer of Emperor Meiji of Imperial Japan.[7] One of the 15 charges An leveled against Itō was that he had deceived the Emperor of Japan, whom An felt desired peace in East Asia and Korean independence. An requested that Meiji be informed of his reasons for his execution of Itō in the hopes that if Meiji understood his reasons, the emperor would realize how mistaken Itō's policies were and would rejoice. An also felt sure that most Japanese felt similar hatred for Itō, an opinion he formed from talking with Japanese prisoners in Korea.[7] During An's prison sentence and trial, many Japanese prison guards, lawyers, and even prosecutors were inspired by him.[20]

An felt that with the death of Itō, Japan and Korea could become friends because of the many traditions that they shared. He hoped that this friendship, along with China, would become a model for the world to follow. His thoughts on Pan-Asianism were stated in his essay, "On Peace in East Asia" (東洋平和論; 동양평화론) that he worked on and left unfinished before his execution.[7][21] In this work, An recommends the organization of combined armed forces and the issue of joint banknotes among Korea, Japan, and China. Sasagawa Norikatsu (笹川紀勝), a Professor of Law at Meiji University, highly praises An's idea as an equivalent of the European Union and a concept that preceded the concept of the League of Nations by 10 years.[22]

An's family produced many other Korean independence activists. An's cousin An Myeong-Geun (안명근; 安明根) attempted to assassinate Terauchi Masatake, the first Japanese Governor-General of Korea (조선총독; 朝鮮總督) who executed the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty in 1910. He failed, however, and was imprisoned for 15 years; he died in 1926. An's brothers An Jeong-Geun (안정근; 安定根) and An Gong-Geun (안공근; 安恭根), as well as An's cousin An Gyeong-Geun (안경근; 安敬根) and nephew An Woo-Saeng (안우생; 安偶生), joined the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai, China, which was led by Kim Gu, and fought against Japan. An Chun-Saeng (안춘생; 安春生), another nephew of An's, joined the National Revolutionary Army of China, participated in battles against Japanese forces at Shanghai, and joined the Korean Liberation Army in 1940. Later, he became a lieutenant general of the Republic of Korea Army and a member of the National Assembly of South Korea.

Meanwhile, An Jung-Geun's youngest son, Ahn Jun-saeng became a prominent businessman and Chinilpa during the Japanese occupation of Korea. He died in 1952 from Tuberculosis, with his children immigrating to the United States of America after the war.[25]

• Grandfather
  • An In-su (안인수, 安仁壽)
• Father
  • An Tae-hun (안태훈, 安泰勳)
• Mother
  • Jo Maria (趙瑪利亞, 조마리아) of the Baecheon Jo clan (배천 조씨) (6 May 1862 - 25 July 1927)
• Sister
  • Younger sister: An Seong-nyeo (안성녀) (1881 - 1954)
• Brother
  • Younger brother: An Jeong-geun (안정근, 安定根) (17 January 1887 - 17 March 1949)
    • Sister-in-law: Yi Jeong-seo (이정서)
      • Nephew: An Won-saeng (안원생)
      • Niece: An Mi-saeng (안미생)
      • Nephew: An Jin-saeng (안진생) (28 January 1916 - 24 December 1988)
        • Niece-in-law: Park Tae-jeong (박태정)
          • Grandniece: An Gi-su (안기수)
          • Grandniece: An Gi-ryeo (안기려)
  • Younger brother: An Gong-geun (안공근, 安恭根) (11 July 1889 - 30 May 1939)
    • Nephew: An Woo-saeng (안우생, 安偶生) (1907 - 1997)
    • Nephew: An Nak-saeng (안낙생, 安樂生) (22 June 1913 - 1950)
    • Niece: Lady An
      • Nephew-in-law: Han Ji-seong (한지성, 韓志成)
    • Niece: Lady An
• Wife
  • Kim Ah-ryeo (김아려, 金亞麗)
• Children
  • Son: An Mun-saeng (안문생, 安文生)
  • Daughter: An Hyeon-saeng (안현생) (1902 - 1959)
    • Son-in-law: Hwang Il-cheong (황일청)
      • Granddaughter: Hwang Eun-ju (황은주)
      • Granddaughter: Hwang Eun-sil (황은실)
  • Son: An Jun-saeng (안준생, 安俊生) (1907 - November 1951)
    • Daughter-in-law: Jeong Ok-nyeo (정옥녀, 鄭玉女) (1905 - ?)
      • Grandson: An Ung-ho (안웅호, 雄浩)
      • Granddaughter: An Yeon-ho (안연호) (1938 - 6 February 2011)
      • Granddaughter: An Seon-ho (안선호) (? - 2003)
• Cousins
  • An Myeong-geun (안명근,安明根) (1879 - 1927)
  • An Hong-geun (안홍근)
  • An Bong-geun (안봉근, 安奉根)
• Grandnephew: An Chun-saeng (안춘생, 安椿生) (12 August 1912 - 26 January 2011)

An is highly renowned for calligraphy works. While he was in prison, many prison guards such as Chiba Toshichi (千葉十七) who respected him, made requests to An for calligraphy works.[20] He left many calligraphy works which were written in the jail of Lushun although he hadn't studied calligraphy formally. He would leave on his calligraphy works a signature of "大韓國人" (Great Korean) and a handprint of his left hand, which was missing the last joint of the ring finger, which he had cut off with his comrades in 1909 as a pledge to kill Itō. Some of the works were designated as Treasure No. 569 of the Republic of Korea in 1972.[26] One of his famous works is "一日不讀書口中生荊棘" (일일부독서 구중생형극; Unless one reads every day, thorns grow in the mouth), a quote from the Analects of Confucius.

An Jung-geun Memorial Hall, Harbin

Memorial halls for An were erected in Seoul in 1970 by the South Korean government and in Harbin by the Chinese government in 2006.[27] South Korean President Park Geun-Hye raised the idea of erecting a monument for An while meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to China in June 2013. Thus another memorial hall honoring An Jung-Geun was opened on Sunday, 19 January 2014 in Harbin. The hall, a 200-square meter room, features photos and memorabilia.[28] Annual activities in memorial of An are held in Lüshun, where he was imprisoned and executed.[29]

According to local sources in China dated on 22 March 2017, the An Jung-geun Memorial Hall located at Harbin Railway Station was recently relocated to a Korean art museum in Harbin City amid China's retaliation over South Korea's deployment of the U.S. THAAD antimissile system.[30] The Memorial Hall has since been reopened in the Harbin Railway Station after renovation work.[31]