Ernest Thomas Bethell (3 November 1872 – 1 May 1909) was a British journalist. He founded a newspaper that advocated for Korean independence from Japan, ''

The Korea Daily News ''The Korea Daily News'' was an English-language newspaper published in the Korean Empire between 1904 and 1910. It also published editions in Korean mixed script and Hangul under the name ''Taehan maeil sinbo'' (). After a few trial issues un ...

.'' He is also known by his

Korean name Korean names are names that place their origin in, or are used in, Korea. A Korean name in the modern era typically consists of a surname followed by a given name, with no middle names. A number of Korean terms for names exist. For full names, ...

().

Arrival in Korea

In 1904, Ernest Bethell travelled from Kobe, Japan, where he had been in the export business, to Korea as a

correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

for the ''Daily Chronicle'', with the purpose of reporting on 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 ...

. He then continued to stay in

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 ...

and reported on

Japanese imperialism The territorial conquests of the Empire of Japan in the Western Pacific Ocean and East Asia began in 1895 with its victory over Qing China in the First Sino-Japanese War. Subsequent victories over the Russian Empire (Russo-Japanese War) and the ...

in Korea. Bethell soon noted the abuses by Japanese soldiers towards Koreans, and how Koreans were treated unfairly and as inferior to the Japanese.

''The Korea Daily News''

He founded an early newspaper in

with

Yang Gi-tak Yang Kit'ak (; April 2, 1871 – April 20, 1938) was one of the leaders of Korean independence movement who served as the 9th president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea from 1933 to 1935. ''The Korea Daily News'' In 1904 ...

, a Korean independence activist, in 1904 called ''

'', which was published concurrently in Korean as ''Daehan Maeil Sinbo'' (). The publication was strongly antagonistic to Japanese rule in Korea. The paper was available in three versions – English,

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

, and

Korean mixed script Korean mixed script () is a form of writing the Korean language that uses a mixture of the Korean alphabet or hangul () and hanja (, ), the Korean name for Chinese characters. The distribution on how to write words usually follows that all nat ...

. Many people who opposed the Japanese rule, such as

Park Eun-sik A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

and

Sin Chae-ho Shin Chae-ho, or Sin Chaeho (; December 8, 1880 – February 21, 1936), was a Korean independence activist, historian, anarchist, nationalist, and a founder of Korean nationalist historiography (민족 사학, ''minjok sahak''; sometimes shorten ...

, wrote articles and columns in the paper.

Prosecution for sedition

At the time, British subjects enjoyed

extraterritorial rights Extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries. Any authority can claim ETJ over any external territory they wish. However, for the claim to be effective in the external ...

in Korea. Because the paper was published by a British subject, it was not subject to local law. However, in 1907, Bethell was prosecuted in the British

Consular Court Consular courts were law courts established by foreign powers in countries where they had extraterritorial rights. They were presided over by consular officers. Extraterritoriality Western powers when establishing diplomatic relations with coun ...

in Seoul for

breach of the peace Breach of the peace or disturbing the peace is a legal term used in constitutional law in English-speaking countries and in a public order sense in the United Kingdom. It is a form of disorderly conduct. Public order England, Wales and Norther ...

and given a good behaviour bond of six months. The next year, at the request of the Japanese Residency-General, Bethell was prosecuted in the British Supreme Court for China and Corea (sic), sitting in Seoul, for

sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech or organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, establ ...

against the Japanese government of Korea. He was convicted of sedition and was sentenced by judge F.S.A. Bourne to three weeks of imprisonment and a six-month good behaviour bond. As there was no suitable jail in Korea, he was taken to Shanghai aboard and detained at the British Consular Gaol in Shanghai.

Death

After being released, he returned to Seoul to continue his business. He died of

cardiomegaly Cardiomegaly (sometimes megacardia or megalocardia) is a medical condition in which the heart becomes enlarged. It is more commonly referred to simply as "having an enlarged heart". It is usually the result of underlying conditions that make the h ...

on 1 May 1909.

Legacy

The Korean people erected a monument in his honour, though it was defaced by the Japanese. Another monument was erected near the original one in 1964 by journalists living in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. Both can be now seen at his grave at

Yanghwajin Foreigners' Cemetery Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery (), also known as the Hapjeong-dong International Cemetery, is a cemetery overlooking the Han River in the district of Mapo District, Seoul, South Korea. The cemetery was first opened in 1890, and contains ...

. In 1968, he was awarded the

Order of Merit for National Foundation The Order of Merit for National Foundation () is one of South Korea's orders of merit. It is awarded by the President of South Korea for "outstanding meritorious services in the interest of founding or laying a foundation for the Republic of Kor ...

from the South Korean government.

2012 memorial service

On 8 May 2012, a special memorial service organised by the Bethell Commemoration Committee was held for Bethell at the

. Former South Korean Prime Minister Lee Soo-sung chaired the ceremony and President

Lee Myung-bak Lee Myung-bak (; born 19 December 1941), often referred to by his initials MB, is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the tenth president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engi ...

sent flowers to mark the event. About 250 people participated in the ceremony, also including Park Yoo-chul, chairman of the Korea Liberation Association. British Ambassador Scott Wrightman spoke at the ceremony, saying:

References

External links

Yanghwajin Cemetery video about Bethell
* Arirang documentary on Consul-General Cockburn and Bethell (2012):
Part 1 Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6Part 7

News story (in Korean) on Bethell's fight with the Japanese
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bethel, Ernest British reporters and correspondents British war correspondents 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis British people imprisoned abroad Foreign supporters of Korean independence 1872 births 1909 deaths Daily Mail journalists Tuberculosis deaths in South Korea British expatriates in Korea Seoul Shinmun Recipients of the Order of Merit for National Foundation Burials at Yanghwajin Foreign Missionary Cemetery