Kim Ŭngu (; June 17, 1848 – October 4, 1878) was a
Mangyongdae
Mangyongdae () is a neighborhood in Mangyongdae-guyok, Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korean propaganda claims Mangyongdae is the birthplace of North Korean leader Kim Il Sung, although in his memoirs
A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narra ...
farmer who was the father of
Kim Pohyŏn, grandfather of
Kim Hyong-jik
Kim Hyong-jik (; 10 July 1894 – 5 June 1926) was a Korean independence activist during Japanese rule. He was the father of the North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, the paternal grandfather of Kim Jong Il, and a great-grandfather of the c ...
, great-grandfather of
Kim Il Sung
Kim Il Sung (born Kim Song Ju; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he led as its first Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader from North Korea#Founding, its establishm ...
, and ancestor of the
Kim family.
In North Korea, he is a
national hero.
Life
He was born on June 17, 1848, in the Mangyongdae settlement of Joseon (now part of
Pyongyang
Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...
) as the eldest child of Kim Song-ryeong (김송령, 金成瑛; 1810–1899) and Na Hyeon-jik (나현직, 羅賢植; 1811–1897). He had three brothers: Kim Ŭiguk (김의국; 1854–1947), Kim Chongsu (김종수; 1855–1943), and Kim Insŏk (김인석; 1863–1952). The first name of his wife is unknown, but it is certain that he married a lady with the surname Ri. Only one son was born from their marriage, who was named
Kim Pohyŏn.
Participation in the ''General Sherman'' incident
Contemporary writings and North Korean sources contradict each other regarding Kim Ŭngu's role in the
''General Sherman'' incident, when an armed American merchant ship sailed up the
Taedong River
The Taedong River () is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthening the Soviet ...
with the intention of forcing the isolationist
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 ...
(modern day Korea) to open up to trade with the United States.
North Korean version of events
According to North Korea, the incident occurred as follows:
The ''General Sherman'' arrived in Joseon in August 1866 (according to the
lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases ( synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based on the solar year, and lunisolar calendars, whose lunar months are br ...
it was still July). The crew of the ship, which had originally arrived for trading purposes, decided to take an unexpected step and sailed on towards the interior of Pyongyang. To prevent this, Kim and his companions stretched ropes across the Taedong River. When Kim Ŭngu found out that the Americans were firing cannons at the Korean residents, looting, and even inquiring about the whereabouts of the royal tombs, he recruited an army of volunteers who loaded firewood into wooden boats and took them to the American ship and set it on fire. The American ship caught fire and sank. The Americans later sent another ship, the ''Shenandoah'', as revenge, but the Koreans, again led by Kim Ŭngu, sank it.
Contemporary version
The Joseon described the incident as follows:
The American ship wanted to trade with the Joseon people, who refused because it was forbidden by law to trade with people from foreign countries. The Americans sailed on without permission from the Koreans, and in response, the Koreans attacked and sank the ship during days of fighting.
Death and legacy
Kim Ŭngu died at the age of 30 of unknown causes. In North Korea, currently led by his descendants known as the
Kim family, he is remembered to this day as the leader of the attack on the ''General Sherman'' and a national hero.
References
External links
Kim ŬnguArdent Patriot Kim Ung U
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Ŭngu
1848 births
1878 deaths
Kim family (North Korea)
People from Pyongyang