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 independence activist Philip Jaisohn. The group advocated for numerous reforms for both government and society, including democracy, public education, journalism, and language reform. The group also published a newspaper:'' Tongnip sinmun'' ("The Independent"). Its advocacy for reforming the government into a

constitutional monarchy Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. ...

brought it into conflict with the Korean monarch Gojong as well as conservatives in the court. The club was eventually ordered to disband in December 1898.

Background

A number of reform movements existed in the late Joseon and Korean Empire periods.

Soh Jaipil

Soh Jaipil, also known as "Philip Jaisohn", was an early prominent leader of the Korean independence movement. He was one of the leaders of the attempted Kapsin Coup of 1884. He then traveled to the United States, studied there, married an American woman, acquired United States citizenship, and earned a

medical degree A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...

from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. Seo returned to Korea in early 1896 and soon afterward was offered a position as

consultant A consultant (from "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice or services in an area of specialization (generally to medium or large-size corporations). Cons ...

to the Privy Council. Preferring to have greater freedom of action, he refused the position, but agreed to serve as an adviser to the throne, a position which broadened his contacts among prominent government leaders.

Formation

A number of

political organization A political organization is any organization that involves itself in the political process, including political parties, non-governmental organizations, and special interest advocacy groups. Political organizations are those engaged in polit ...

s came into being in Korea during the 1890s, each formed with the hope of securing the nation's independence and the rights of the people. Each group tackled the problem of national independence from a different direction. The most energetic of these organizations was also the first to form. On July 2, 1896, Philip Jaisohn and Yi Sang-jae, Yun Chi-ho formally inaugurated the Independence Club (Doklip-hyuphoe). Minister of War An Kyong-su served as the club's first president and Foreign Minister Yi Wan-yong served as its chairman. The Independence Club drew its early membership of about 30 men from other like-minded groups, from incumbent

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

s and former government officials. Members came from the Chongdong Club, founded by Yun Chi-ho and Yi Sang-jae, both active in Korea's diplomatic affairs, and from the Konyang Club (a name that symbolized the end of Korea's vassal relationship with China), founded by Yu Kil-chun and other leaders of the reforms of 1894. As criticism of the government and its policies mounted, a number of the higher level officials associated with the Independence Club thought it wise to resign their positions for political reasons. In their place came representatives of the new intelligentsia, men influenced by Western culture whose ideology developed from the Confucian reformist idea of "Eastern ways, Western

machine A machine is a physical system that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromol ...

s."

Organization

The Independence Club was composed of young classical radicals and reformers. The mainstream of the Independence Club supported the

, but it was suspected that some members were republicans. The selection of officers and the conduct of club business was handled democratically. Matters of importance were decided by a simple majority of the members present. In time, the Independence Club expanded its network of members into the countryside. After sufficient branches had been established in provincial

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

s, one group in each

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

became the liaison group that maintained regular contact with the club's headquarters in Seoul.

Activities

As it became more of a citizen's assembly, the Independence Club moved beyond symbolic activities and began to initiate direct social and political action programs.

''Tongnip sinmun''

The first priority was to launch a campaign of public education. To this end, it established ''Tongnip sinmun'', the club's newspaper. One of the first projects undertaken by the paper was an attempt to establish some tangible symbol of Korean independence.

Reforms to Seoul

Seo proposed that Yeongeunmun ("Gate of Welcoming Grace"), long considered a symbol of Korean subservience to China, be torn down and replaced with a new gate. Second, he proposed that the ''Mohwagwan'' (), the guest quarters where Chinese embassies had been entertained, be renovated and that an Independence Hall () and Independence Park be created there. In August 1896, within days after the proposals, the "Independence Association" was founded. The citizens responded with not only support, but sizable contributions as well. Even the royal family and many of the government's highest officials contributed to the Independence Club projects. Crown Prince Yi-Chak made a financial contribution to the group as a token of his cooperation. Within three months, membership in the association grew to nearly ten thousand. The groundbreaking and cornerstone laying ceremony was carried out in November.

Policy advocacy

The group urged Korea to adopt a

foreign policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

based on

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

and neutrality, one that rejected Western foreign policy and would show no favor to any foreign power seeking to advance its parochial interests in the

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

. It also advocated for

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

and

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

. It demanded full equality of all people, the rights of free speech and assembly, the right of the individual to the security of his

person A person (: people or persons, depending on context) is a being who has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations suc ...

and

property Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, re ...

, and the doctrine of the sovereignty of the people. It also sought to improve education by advocating for the establishment of

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

s in every

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

. It also advocated for improvements to commercial and industrial

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

in Korea. They also urged the development of a more modern national defense capability, including a

navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

Clash with the government and disbanding the club

The Independence Club launched a movement to establish a national assembly in April 1898. In October 1898 the club held demonstrations in front of palace in response to the government's attempts to revise repressive pre-Gabo laws. Participants included yangban, students, monks, merchants, and other commoners, as well as outcastes. The club mobilized a thousand people a day, causing great public excitement, and appears to have come close to forcing Gojong to give into their demands for an appointed assembly. In October 1898, the club announced six requirements to the Emperor Gojong. The 6 were following: # Neither officials nor people shall depend upon foreign aid, but shall do their best to strengthen and uphold the imperial power. # All documents pertaining to foreign loans, the hiring of foreign soldiers, the granting of concessions, etc., in fact every document drawn up between the Korean government and a foreign party or firm, shall be signed and sealed by all the Ministers of State and the President of the Privy Council. # Important offenders shall be punished only after they have been given a public trial and ample opportunity to defend themselves. # To his Majesty shall belong the power to appoint Ministers, but in case a majority of the Cabinet disapproves of the Emperor's nominee he shall not be appointed. # All sources of revenue and methods of raising taxes shall be placed under the control of the Finance Department, no other department, officer or corporation being allowed to interfere therewith; and the annual estimates and balances shall be made public. # The existing laws and regulations shall be enforced without fear or favour. The Independence Club took "loyalty to the emperor and patriotism for the country" as its motto. The organization tried to criticize the government for corruption, while not directly insulting Emperor Gojong, distinguish him from his "wicked" officials. Gojong, however, seems to have seen the Independence Club as a threat to his power. When the club voted to recall Pak Yŏnghyo from Japan to sit in the assembly, conservatives in the court struck back. Conservatives charged that the club was plotting to overthrow the Emperor, and on November 5, 1898, seventeen club members were arrested. This resulted in bloody street battles in November that brought Seoul to a state of near anarchy. The Emperor condemned the club, saying it had "ignored government orders, rudely repudiated the court, and expelled the ministers." He resented that the club members did not heed his ordinances ordering them to curb their activities, and he ordered the organization be dissolved. After continued riots, in December 1898 Gojong enforced martial law and arrested 340 leaders of the Independence Club, sent troops to break up demonstrations, and forbade popular assemblies. Several of the leaders went into exile. Gojong preferred to uphold royal authority rather than risk opening the political system to public participation. The following years saw the Emperor work to consolidate monarchical power, and discourage public opposition.

Notes

References

External links

Independence Club

{{Authority control Anti-Chinese sentiment in Korea Anti-Russian sentiment Defunct liberal political parties Human rights organizations based in Korea 1890s in Korea Korean nationalist parties Liberal parties in Asia Liberalism in Korea Organizations established in 1896 Radical parties Philip Jaisohn Syngman Rhee Yun Ch'iho Korean independence movement