Kim Kajin (; 1846 – 4 July 1923) was an Imperial Korean politician, diplomat and an independence activist during

Korea under Japanese rule From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon". Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...

Biography

Kim was born in 1846. His father was Kim Ŭnggyun () a member of

Andong Kim clan The Andong Kim clan () refers to two bon-gwan, Korean clans of Elder Andong Kim Clan (구 안동 김씨) and the New Andong Kim Clan (신 안동 김씨), respectively. They were prominent yangban, yangban families during Korea's Joseon, Joseon Dy ...

that served as the Yejo Minister. Despite being born into a prestigious family, he was an illegitimate child borne from a ''

kisaeng ''Kisaeng'' (), also called ''ginyeo'' (), were enslaved women from outcast or enslaved families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men of upper class. First emerging in Goryeo dynasty. were ...

''. Despite his background, he started his career as Chamseogwan of Royal library. In 1886, Kim passed

Gwageo The () or ''kwagŏ'' were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo (918–1392) and Joseon (1392–1897) periods of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' ability of writing composition and knowledge ...

literary examination. On the 16th day, 5th month of 1887 (

Korean calendar Throughout its many years of history, various calendar systems have been used in Korea. Many of them were adopted from the Lunar calendar, lunar Chinese calendar system, with modifications occasionally made to accommodate Korea's geographic locat ...

), Kim was appointed as minister sent to

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

and returned to Korea on the 21st, 9th month of 1891. Kim was an ardent supporter of reform. When the Japanese forces stationed in Seoul, Gim was part of the plot of bringing back

Heungseon Daewongun Heungseon Daewongun (; 24 January 1821 – 22 February 1898) was the title of Yi Ha-eung, the regent of Joseon during the minority of Emperor Gojong in the 1860s. Until his death, he was a key political figure of late Joseon Korea. He was also ca ...

into power as a prime minister, embarking the age without

Yeoheung Min clan The Yeoheung Min clan () is a Korean clan that traces its origin to Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province. The 2015 Korean census counted 167,124 members of the Yeoheung Min clan. Origin The progenitor of the Yeoheung Min clan was long thought to be Min C ...

. Daewongun also wanted to use Kim in the new government as a member of progressive fraction. Later, Kim found his way towards prominency. Kim was appointed as Minister of agriculture, Industry and Commerce on the 1st day, 4th month of 1895. Kim resigned his position on the 17th day, 8th month of 1895. In August 1895, Kim was appointed as 1st Class member of Junchuwon. On 27 August 1895, Kim was appointed as the Korean envoy sent to Japan. Kim resigned from his office on 1 February 1896. He was appointed as 1st class member of the Junchuwon. In July 1896, Kim registered in the newly formed

Independence Club The Independence Club (), alternate name Independence Association, was an organization that advocated for Korean independence. It operated between July 2, 1896 and December 25, 1898, and was founded and led by the prominent Korean independen ...

. Kim served the Korean Empire in various posts such as Speaker of the Jungchuwon, and Special Official of Gungnaebu. After 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, Kim showed his disapproval. In response, on 8 May 1906, Kim was demoted to the Observer of the

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 ...

. To fend off the Japanese colonization, Kim became the president of Daehan Organizations. In 1907, he was appointed as Gyujanggak Jaehak and retired from the officialdom same year. After the annexation of Korea, Kim was ennobled as

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

, starting his age as a

Korean collaborators with Imperial Japan 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 ...

. Yet his pro-Japanese collaboration did not last long. During the

March 1st 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 ...

, Kim participated as one of the representatives of Korea. After the March 1st Movement, Kim became the president of . On 19 October 1919, Kim fled to

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

with Yi Jong-uk, an agent from the

Korean Provisional Government The Korean Provisional Government (KPG), formally the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (), was a Korean government-in-exile based in Republic of China (1912–1949), China during Korea under Japanese rule, Japanese rule over K ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. These two secretly arrived at Shanghai with Kim disguising himself as a man living in countryside. Kim's refuge was successful, helped the Taedongdan to act in Shanghai. After Taedongdan was dissolved, Kim joined the Korean Provisional Government. He died in

on 4 July 1922.

Honors

Order of the Palgwae The Order of the Palgwae was an order of chivalry of the Korean Empire that was given to military personnel and officials. Established on 16 April 1898, the order was divided into eight classes. Form The Order of the Palgwae had the trigram in t ...

2nd Class on 11 April 1905

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Kajin 1846 births 1923 deaths Government officials of the Korean Empire Political office-holders of the Korean Empire 19th-century Korean people Joseon politicians Activists for Korean independence Joseon Kazoku Andong Kim clan Members of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea