Pak Chungyang (; May 3, 1872 – April 23, 1959) was a Korean bureaucrat and politician in the Japanese colonial government. His

art name An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin Chinese), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by artists, poets and writers in the Sinosp ...

s were Haeak () and Ilso (), and his

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

was Wongeun (). He also had the

Japanese name in modern times consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name. Japanese names are usually written in kanji, where the pronunciation follows a special set of rules. Because parents when naming children, and foreigners when adoptin ...

s , Jūyō Boku (朴重陽) and . Pak was Governor of the prefecture Kōkai Prefecture from 1921 to 1923 and in 1928. He was also governor of Chūseihoku Prefecture from 1923 to 1925. Pak went abroad to Japan to study and later returned to become a bureaucrat in his country. He was appointed as the Mayor of

Daegu Daegu (; ), formerly spelled Taegu and officially Daegu Metropolitan City (), is a city in southeastern South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; the fourth-largest List of provincial-level ci ...

and the deputy Governor of

North Gyeongsang Province North Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in eastern South Korea, and with an area of , it is the largest province in the Korean peninsula. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remaine ...

from 1906 to 1907. Later, he succeeded sequentially in the positions of Governor of Phyeongannamto,

South Jeolla Province South Jeolla Province (), formerly South Chŏlla Province, also known as Jeonnam (), is a province in the Honam, Honam region, South Korea, and the Provinces of Korea, southernmost province in mainland Korea. South Jeolla borders the provinces of ...

, Phyeonganpukto and

South Chungcheong Province South Chungcheong Province (), informally called Chungnam, is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, province of South Korea in the Hoseo region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. South Chungcheong borders the provinces of Gyeonggi to ...

. Pak was involved in the

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910 The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910, also known as the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, was made by representatives of the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire on 22 August 1910. In this treaty, Japan formally annexed Korea following the J ...

and opposed the

March First Movement The March First Movement was a series of protests against Korea under Japanese rule, Japanese colonial rule that was held throughout Korea and internationally by the Korean diaspora beginning on March 1, 1919. Protests were largely concentrated in ...

. He also founded the Refrain Club. He demolished the castle of Daegueup and the Old Gyungsangdo Provincial Office, and contributed to city planning and road maintenance in

. He also participated in the destruction of the Castle of Jinju. He was a conscientious Japanese colonial supporter with pro-Japanese group ideology as well as an advocate for civil rights. Pak was pro-Japanese, and was later named a collaborator ("''

chinilpa From the late 19th century and until 1945, a number of ethnic Koreans worked with the Empire of Japan. Some of these figures contributed to or benefitted from Japan's colonization of Korea, and some actively worked to counter the Korean independe ...

''") after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Early life

Pak Chungyang was born on May 3, 1872, in Junae-myeon in Yangju County,

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

. He was the second son of Pak Jeong-ho (박정호, 朴鼎鎬; 1840 – September 22, 1892) and Lady Yi of the Jeonju Yi clan (April 21, 1845 – July 12, 1929). The origin of his family is unknown, but it is speculated that he either came from the

Miryang Park clan The Miryang Park clan () or Milseong Park clan () is a Korean clan from Miryang, now in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The clan descends from the 10th century prince Pak Ŏnch'im (), son of King Gyeongmyeong of Silla. Goryeo royalty ...

() or the Bannam Park clan (). His father supervised a rent farm and leased it out as well. He had three brothers; one older brother and two younger brothers. In his adolescence, he joined the Independence Club, but it was dispersed due to the repression of the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire, officially the Empire of Korea or Imperial Korea, was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by King Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire lasted until the Japanese annexation of Korea in August 1910. Dur ...

. This caused Pak to be disappointed and left him with a bad feeling against the

. In March 1894, the

employed and dispatched assassins to Japan and China. In Shanghai, China Kim Ok-kyun, a reform minded activist, was murdered by assassin Hong Jong-u. Kim's body was turned over to a Chinese warship, where it was dismembered. Parts of his body were put on public display in several towns in Korea as a traditional humiliation and punishment for treason. When Hong returned to Korea he was appointed to high office. Pak grew an extreme hatred towards the

and the people of

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

International study

From an early age, he wanted to go abroad to Japan. In 1897, he was selected as a Korean state student to study abroad in Japan. Pak supported himself during his studies because his family was poor. From 1897 to 1900, he studied in Aoyama middle school. In 1900, he entered Dokyo buki high school as a banking major.Pak Chungyang
/ref> Then, he added a double major in

Japanese police The is the central coordinating law enforcement agency of the Japanese police system. Unlike national police in other countries, the NPA does not have any operational units of its own aside from the Imperial Guard; rather, it is responsible f ...

studies there. After the graduation, Pak adopted

Neo-Confucianism Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, which originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) i ...

and the 'Theory of the national prosperity and the military power' from

Ito Hirobumi Ito, Itō or Itoh may refer to: Places * Ito Island, an island of Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea * Ito Airport, an airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo * Ito District, Wakayama, a district located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japa ...

. At the time, he chose the Japanese name Yamamoto Shin. Pak also became a Japanese petty bureaucrat. He tried to introduce the

parliamentary system A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their Election, democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of a majority of t ...

to the Imperial Korean government, but the Korean government refused. In 1903, he returned and passed the probation period as a civil officer of Imperial Korea. After returning to Korea, Pak continued to advocate a pro-Japanese position.

Career

Korean Empire era

Japanese soldiers near Chemulpo Korea August September 1904 Russo Japanese War

In 1903, Pak successfully filled various government posts, and was also appointed as a staff of the Public Administration Agency. In 1905, he served as a military interpreter during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

. In November 1905, he was appointed to the staff of the Farming, Commerce and Industry Department. He resigned when the

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905, also known as the Eulsa Treaty, was made between delegates of the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire in 1905. Negotiations were concluded on November 17, 1905. The treaty deprived Korea of its diplomatic s ...

was signed. On May 5, he was appointed as an engineer of the

National Defense National security, or national defence (national defense in American English), is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived ...

Department (군부;軍部) engineer, and accompanied Prince Yi Kang to go to Japan. Two months later, he returned to his country. In 1906, Pak was promoted to Governor of

County.Pak Chungyang
Then, after a short period, he was promoted again to the Acting Governor of the

. During the term, Pak tore down the castle of Daegueup without official permission He secretly hired

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

workers to tear down the structure. also Pak was lay out a new street. In early 1906, he applied for permission from the Korean government, but it was refused. The government tried to punish him for the action, but he acquired protection from

. Later, he modernized the

city planning and road maintenance. He strove in building modern hospitals, medical schools and colleges, and successfully built the Dojin hospital and its affiliated medical school. He was also a supporter of the free press, including journals which satirized him. His idea was that the freedom of the press is a must to supervise the government. In 1907, he became a governor of Phyeongannamto and Phyeonganpukto, and in 1910, the Governor of

Japanese rule

When the

was signed in August 1910, Pak remained as the Governor of Chungcheongnam-do until 1915. From 1916 to 1920, he was a member of Japanese Government-General of Korea's Privy Council. In 1919, he opposed the

,친일중의 친일 '3·1운동 자제단'은 누구?
The Hangyeolye 2010.03.01 and founded the Refrain club on 6 April in response. Pak was hindrance and dissuade, advice of go home of demonstrato of

. His old friends Philip Jaisohn and Yun Chi-ho cut off relations with him due to this. He was appointed as the Governor of Kōkai Prefecture in 1921, and the Governor of Chūseihoku Prefecture in 1923 to 1925. After the

1923 Great Kantō earthquake The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake (, or ) was a major earthquake that struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshu at 11:58:32 JST (02:58:32 UTC) on Saturday, 1 September 1923. It had an approximate magnitude of 8.0 on the mom ...

and subsequent

Kantō Massacre The was a mass murder in the Kantō region of Japan committed in the aftermath of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. With the explicit and implicit approval of parts of the Japanese government, the Japanese military, police, and vigilantes mu ...

, he appealed to the Japanese government to release the arrested Koreans, and asserted that the Koreans were not involved in the criminal cases which occurred during the earthquake. In November 1924, he was accused in a sex abuse scandal, but the accuser woman suddenly died; three years later, the charge against him was dismissed. In 1928, he was re-appointed as the Governor of Kōkai Prefecture. He governed the civilians through a regulated bureaucracy system, often with warning and several days of confinement instead of punishment, and suppressed the power of the Japanese police and soldiers to harass civilians, even putting them in confinement as well. Sometimes, the bureaucrats were imprisoned, but the Japanese police never arrested him, because he was especially trusted by the Japanese

Governor-General of Korea Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

, which pleased many

people.

World War II era

left, 140px, Pak Chungyang, later 1930's In 1927 to 1939, he was a member of Japanese Government-General of Korea's Privy Council; and in 1936, the advisor of Japanese Government-General of Korea's Privy Council. Seven years later, he was elected as the vice-chairman of the council. In 1940, he changed name to Hōchū Segeyō as per the

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

Sōshi-kaimei was a policy of pressuring Koreans under Japanese rule to adopt Japanese names and identify as such. The primary reason for the policy was to forcibly assimilate Koreans, as was done with the Ainu and the Ryukyuans. The Sōshi-kaimei has been ...

. On October 22, 1941, he was appointed as the adviser of the Fight-patriotic of Joseon Group, which merged with the Peoples Mind Alliance in January 1943. During the Asia-Pacific War, he contributed to encourage and comfort the Japanese troops, as in 1942 and 1943, when he was sent to console the Japanese troops stationed in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. In 1943, he was appointed as Vice-Chairman of Japanese Government-General of Korea's Privy Council. On 3 April 1945, he was elected as a congressman in the House of Peers. Due to his cooperation with the

Japanese Empire The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From 1910 to ...

and the Japanese Governor-General of Korea, he was listed as a Pro-Japanese collaborators in Korea by the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities in 2008.

Later years

Korea was liberated on August 15, 1945, after the end of

, but Pak stayed in Daegu. He mocked the Korean independence activists for talking about their heroic deeds in the independence battle. After October 1945, as some pro-Japanese group begged for their lives, he ridiculed Korean resistance activists. On January 1, 1949, he was arrested by the Special Investigation Committee of Anti-National Activities and charged under the National Traitor Law."해방이 1년만 늦었어도 황국신민 대우를..."
오마이뉴스 2004.09.11. But, Pak maintained his innocence at the court and stood by his pro-Japanese beliefs. In February 1949, he was released on bail due to

bronchial pneumonia Bronchopneumonia is a subtype of pneumonia. It is the acute inflammation of the bronchi, accompanied by inflamed patches in the nearby lobules of the lungs. citing: Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition, Copyright 2014 It is ofte ...

and

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

. Later, he continued to criticize President

Syngman Rhee Syngman Rhee (; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965), also known by his art name Unam (), was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisiona ...

Kim Ku Kim Ku (; August 29, 1876 – June 26, 1949), also known by his art name Paekpŏm, was a Korean independence activist and statesman. He was a leader of the Korean independence movement against the Empire of Japan, head of the Provisional Gove ...

, Lee See-yeong and Ham Tae-yeong as "patrioteers". In 1955, Rhee tried to confine Pak to a So-ju-yeong psychiatric hospital and Seoul Seongmo psychiatric hospital, but failed. Pak Chungyang died Chimsan Mountine, in

on April 23, 1959, due to pneumonia. the cause of death is

lung disease The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in many animals, including humans. In mammals and most other tetrapods, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart. Their function in the respiratory syst ...

and Senile disease.

Personal life

Family

One version says he was an adopted son of

Itō Hirobumi Kazoku, Prince , born , was a Japanese statesman who served as the first prime minister of Japan from 1885 to 1888, and later from 1892 to 1896, in 1898, and from 1900 to 1901. He was a leading member of the ''genrō'', a group of senior state ...

. But in 1948, he spoke to some press company and confirmed it was a lie.현암조상원추모문집간행위원회, 《현암 조상원》 (현암사, 2001) 381페이지 He referred to Itō as "My respected teacher". He had a wife named Yi Ju-yeol (이주열, 李主悅/李柱烈; 4 March 1870 – 20 May 1960), who was a member of the royal

Jeonju Yi clan The Jeonju Yi clan () is a Korean clan with the surname Yi. Their ''bon-gwan'' is in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The clan includes the House of Yi that led Joseon and the Korean Empire. Their founder was . He was Minister of Works () durin ...

, and four sons and three daughters. His first son Park Mun-ung (박문웅, 朴文雄; December 7, 1890 – 14 August 1959) was the succeeding mayor of

Cheongdo Cheongdo County (''Cheongdo-gun'') is a county in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is connected to the national transportation grid by the Gyeongbu Line railroad and the Daegu-Busan Expressway. The seat of government is located in the ...

Cheongsong Cheongsong County (or Cheongsong-gun; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Administrative divisions Cheongsong is divided into 1 eup and 7 myeon. Climate Cheongsong has a humid cont ...

Sangju Sangju (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Although Sangju is rather rural, it is very old and was once a key city. Along with Gyeongju, it gives rise to half of the name of the Gye ...

, and

Dalseong County Dalseong County (Dalseong-gun) is a ''gun'' occupying much of south and western Daegu, South Korea. A largely rural district lying along the Nakdong River, it makes up nearly half of Daegu's total area. It is divided in half by a narrow piece o ...

in 1940s. It is unknown when his second son Park Mu-ung () died and his other children died, but his third son had and was survived by his daughter, Park Du-sun (). His granddaughter, Park Mun-ung's daughter, Park Bu-nam (박부남, 朴富南; December 6, 1931 – January 1, 2018) was a

pediatrician Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...

and internist, she was a university professor at the College of Medicine of

Kyungpook National University Kyungpook National University (; abbreviated as KNU or Kyungdae ()) is one of ten Flagship Korean National Universities representing Gyeongbuk Province in South Korea. It is located in Daegu, which used to be the capital city of the Gyeong ...

, Keimyung University. Park Bu-nam eventually married Yi Yeol-hui (이열희, 李烈熙; 18 December 1924 – 9 August 2012) who was a member of the Gyeongju Yi clan. Yi Yeol-hui is a dentist and plastic surgeon, Yi was a university professor of College of Medicine of

and nephew of poet Yi Sang-hwa and resistance activists Yi Sang-jeong, politician Yi Sang-baek. Pak Chungyang had a daughter, Park Jeong-ja (박정자, 朴政子; 1936–?), with an unnamed Japanese concubine who was born in 1909.

Pet name

He had "Stick Mr. Pak" (박작대기/박짝대기) as his

pet name A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek ; sometimes also ''hypocoristic''), or pet name, is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as '' Izzy'' for Isabel or '' Bob'' for Robert, or it ...

. The pet name was selected as such because Pak always carried a long stick, sometime called the "Enlightened Stick".

Other

For decades, Pak regularly wrote in his diary every day, which was stored in 20 boxes. Pak's diary was captured when he was arrested by the Special Investigation Committee of Anti-National Activities. Even after being release Pak didn't get his diary back. Pak wrote a memoir "Sulhoe", copy paper of some diary and his memories.

Books

* 《Pak Chungyang's Diary》() * 《Sulhoe》() * 《Sinnyeon sogam》() * 《Pokdosa pyeonjip jaryo》(; 1907)

Gallery

Image:朴重陽 2.png, Pak Chungyang (1941) Image:반민특위에 출두하는 박중양.png, Pak Chungyang (Jan 1949) Image:박중양 5.jpg, Pak Chungyang (Jun 1907) Image:Park Joong-yang 2.jpg, Pak Chungyang (1908) Image:박중양 충북도지사.png, Pak Chungyang (1925) Image:1933.03.01 朴重陽 2.jpg, Pak Chungyang (1932) Image:朴重陽と朝鮮民報記者 1935.09.04..png, Pak Chungyang and one jounarists (1935) Image:1906년 10월 대구 읍성 철거보고서.png, Report of Demolition Daegu Castle (Oct 1906) Image:박중양 관찰사의 장계.jpg, A Handwriting letter to Emperor Kojong (Nov 1, 1909) Image:박중양 휘호.png, A calligraphy art (Nov 30, 1933) Image:朴重陽興天地無窮.png, A calligraphy art, send to Hoseo News (Mar 1, 1932) Image:중추원 참의 박중양 북경 출장 명령서.jpg, Holographic Report of Business trip orders (1938) Image:자제단 조직 뉴스 기사.jpg, News of Refrain club, his founding club (Apr 16, 1919)

Notes

References

* Bak Eungyung(1999), ''일제하 조선인관료 연구'', Seoul, Korea: Hakminsa. * 반민족문제연구소(1993), ''친일파 99인 1'', Seoul, Korea: Dolbegye. . * Lim Jong-guk(1991), ''실록 친일파'', Seoul, Korea: Dolbegye. . * 민족경제연구소(1948), ''친일파 군상'', Seoul, Korea: 삼성출판사.
일제말~해방~한국戰 잔혹사
* Jeong Jae-yong(2008), ''빙이화 (상, 하)'', Seoul, Korea:Hansome media * Daqinfo(2003), ''부끄러운 문화 답사기'', Seoul, Korea:Bookis

External links

Pak Chungyang

Pak Chungyang

Pak Chungyang:Korea historical person information

"일제가 현대 조선 개신" 해방후에도 망발…친일파 박중양
i-Daegumail news 2010. 01.25

The Dailian News 2010.01.30

The Dailian News 2010.01.30

The Hangyeolye 2010.03.01 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bak, Jungyang Joseon politicians Korean politicians South Korean Confucianists South Korean translators People from Yangju Politicians from Gyeonggi Province People of the Russo-Japanese War Korean scholars Korean Confucianists Korean collaborators with Imperial Japan 20th-century Korean philosophers Interpreters 1874 births 1959 deaths 20th-century translators Members of the House of Peers (Japan) Government officials of the Korean Empire Members of the Government-General of Chōsen