Song Jin-woo (, 8 May 1889 – 30 December 1945) was a

Korean independence activist The following is a list of known people (including non-Koreans) that participated in the Korean independence movement against the colonization of Korea by Japan. Early activists People whose main independence activities were conducted before ...

, journalist, and politician. 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 ...

was Goha (). He was the 3rd, 6th and 8th CEO of the Dong-a Ilbo and the founding leader of the

Korea Democratic Party The Korea Democratic Party (KDP; ) was the leading opposition party in the first years of the First Republic of Korea. It existed from 1945 to 1949, when it merged with other opposition parties. The United States Army Military Government in ...

. In 1945, he was assassinated by , a member of the far-right terrorist group the White Shirts Society.

Early life

Song was born on 8 May 1899 in

Damyang Damyang County (''Damyang-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Tourism is a major local industry. Notable local products include bamboo goods and strawberries. Damyang is not to be confused with Danyang, which is located in ...

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 ...

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 fourth son of father Song Hun (), and mother (surname Yang ). His is the . From age four, he learned Classical Chinese under . In 1904, fifteen-year-old Song married a woman with the surname Yu () from Jeongeup. Two years after this, Song studied more modern subjects in the educational institution Yeonghaksuk (). There, he met

Kim Seong-su Kim Seong-su (; October 11, 1891 – February 18, 1955), art name Inchon, was a Korean educator, independence activist, journalist, entrepreneur, politician, and calligrapher. He served as the second Vice President of South Korea from 1951 to ...

. In 1907, while studying at (part of the

Baegyangsa Baegyangsa (), also spelled Baekyangsa, is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It is situated in Bukha-myeon, Jangseong County, in South Jeolla province, South Korea. Built in 632 under the Baekje kingdom, it lies on the slope ...

temple in

), he decided to study abroad in Japan. Song left the temple and went to study at the Guemho School () in Gunsan. By October, he and Kim went 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 ...

, where they studied at the and Kinjo Middle School . By 1910, the both of them managed to enter

Waseda University Waseda University (Japanese: ), abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the Tōkyō Professional School by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the fifth Prime Minister of Japan, prime ministe ...

, but returned to Korea after the news broke that Japan had colonized the peninsula. The following year, he returned to Japan to study law at

Meiji University is a Private university, private research university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Originally founded as Meiji Law School () by three lawyers in 1881, it became a university in April 1920. As of May 2023, Meiji has 32,261 undergradu ...

. There, he started an organization for foreign exchange students and founded a student magazine called . He graduated in 1915.

Career

In 1916, he became the vice principal of the , which Kim had taken over, in Seoul. He later became its principal. In 1918, Song and several others began plotting an uprising against the Japanese colonial government. After 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 ...

protests of 1919, Song was arrested and held at

Seodaemun Prison Seodaemun Prison History Hall () is a museum and former prison in Seodaemun District, Seoul, South Korea. It was constructed beginning in 1907. The prison was opened on October 21, 1908, under the name Gyeongseong Gamok. During the early part of ...

. He spent a year and a half in prison, until he was acquitted of all charges and released around October 1920. In 1921, he became the third chairman of the newspaper '' The Dong-a Ilbo'', following Kim. During his tenure, the paper advocated for Korean nationalist movements such as the and the . In 1923, he founded an organization for Korean expatriates, and fundraised for it around the country. He resigned his post at ''Ilbo'' in April 1924, but joined as an advisor in October. In the following year, he was made its

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

. In 1925, he attended a conference in Hawaii that was organized by

Soh Jaipil Seo Jae-pil (; January 7, 1864 – January 5, 1951), better known by his English name Philip Jaisohn, was a Korean Americans, Korean American politician, physician, and Korean independence movement, Korean independence activist. He was the fi ...

, and returned home afterwards. In March 1926, publication of ''Ilbo'' was suspended for a second time after it was caught celebrating an anniversary of the March 1st Movement. Song was initially sentenced to six months in prison, but in November his sentence was extended for another six months. He was eventually released in February 1927 due to a clemency order issued in celebration of the beginning of Emperor Hirohito's reign. In October, he became the ''Ilbo's'' sixth chairman, again following Kim. In 1928, Soh held the third iteration of his conference in Kyoto, and Song attended it. In 1930, after the tenth anniversary edition of the ''Ilbo'', the paper's publication was suspended for a third time, but it resumed in September. During his tenure in 1931, the paper advocated for the restoration of and ran the , which promoted rural literacy in order to promote popular resistance sentiment. In the aftermath of the

Wanpaoshan Incident The was a minor dispute between Chinese and Korean farmers which occurred on 1 July 1931. Through a series of false reports, the issue was highly sensationalized in the Imperial Japanese and Korean press, and used for considerable propaganda eff ...

, in which conflict broke out between Korean and Chinese farmers in Manchuria, Song published an editorial that chastised the Japanese colonial government's response to the incident and called for peace. For this, Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek sent Song an award. In August 1936, the ''Ilbo'' was discontinued for a fourth time, after it was revealed that it had doctored a photo to remove the

Japanese flag The national flag of Japan is a rectangular white banner with a red circle at its center. The flag is officially called the but is more commonly known in Japan as the . It embodies the country's sobriquet: the Land of the Rising Sun. The ...

from the chest of

Sohn Kee-chung Sohn Kee-chung (; ; August 29, 1912 – November 15, 2002) was a Korean Olympic athlete and long-distance runner. He became the first Korean to win a medal at the Olympic Games, winning gold in the Marathon (sport), marathon at the Berlin Oly ...

, a competitor in the

Berlin Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

. While it was allowed to resume publication on June of the following year, the

Governor-General of Chōsen The Governor-General of Chōsen (; ) was the chief administrator of the : a part of an administrative organ established by the Imperial government of Japan. The position existed from 1910 to 1945. The governor-general of Chōsen was established ...

forced its discontinuation again in December 1939. In 1940, Song went over to Japan to protest its closure, but he was arrested while returning to the peninsula. The ''Ilbo'' stayed closed for the time being. After his release, Song isolated himself in his home. He excused his reclusiveness by claiming he had an illness. After the beginning of the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

, on 8 December 1941, the Governor-General began conscripting Korean students to fight in the war. Frustrated by his inability to speak out against this, Song privately wrote that "''The Dong-a Ilbo'' is my mouth, my ears, my breathing nose, my hands, and my feet. How can a man with all of those parts sliced off do anything!"

After the liberation of Korea

After the

liberation of Korea Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

, the office of the Governor-General began planning its departure and hand off of control to Korean institutions. The security office had three Korean candidates that they felt who could handle their work: Song,

Lyuh Woon-hyung Lyuh Woon-hyung (; 25 May 1886 – 19 July 1947), also known by his art name Mongyang (), was a Korean independence movement, Korean independence activist and Korean reunification, reunification activist. Lyuh was a prominent figure in the Pro ...

, and

Ahn Chai-hong Ahn Chai-hong (, December 31, 1891 – March 1, 1965) was a Korean activist, politician, and journalist who participated in the Korean independence movement. See also * Korea Independence Party - Ahn Jae-hong was a member of the party here. ...

. In mid-August, the head of security reached out to Song and offered him the position, which came with control over newspapers, broadcasting, transportation, and security. Song refused it. Associates of Song, such as , questioned the wisdom of the decision. According to historian , Song viewed the position as being akin to the role of

Wang Jingwei Wang Zhaoming (4 May 188310 November 1944), widely known by his pen name Wang Jingwei, was a Chinese politician who was president of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China, a puppet state of the Empire of Japan. He was in ...

in the Japanese puppet state. The position was then offered to Lyuh, who accepted it. Lyuh founded the (CPKI). Lyuh asked Song on a number of occasions to join, but Song refused. On one occasion, their disagreements escalated into a shouting match. To counter the CPKI, Song became the founding leader of the (NFPC) on 7 September and the

on 16 September. In December of that year, the Moscow Conference was held. Afterwards, the United States and Soviet Union announced that they had failed to negotiate the reunification of Korea and that the peninsula would be occupied for 5 years. This roused up the . On the evening of 29 December, Song and members of 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 ...

held a furious meeting on the results of the conference.

Death

Around 6:00 a.m. on 30 December 1945, Song was assassinated by a group of seven men. Among them was , a member of the right-wing terrorist group the White Shirts Society.

Legacy and awards

On 1 March 1963, he was posthumously 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 ...

, third grade.

Popular Culture

* Portrayed by actor

Park Geun-hyung Park Geun-hyung (born June 7, 1940) is a South Korean actor. His career in film, television and theater has spanned over five decades. Career He was born in Suseong-ri, Jeongju-eup, Jeongeup-gun, Jeollabuk-do during the Japanese colonial peri ...

in the 1981–82 TV series, '' 1st Republic''.

Notes

References

External links

Goha Song Jinwoo Museum

Song Jin-woo:Daum

Song Jin-woo:Nate korean history

Song Jin-woo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Jin-Woo 1889 births 1945 deaths Korean politicians Korean journalists Members of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea Assassinated Korean politicians Assassinated South Korean people People murdered in Korea South Korean anti-communists Korean educators People imprisoned on terrorism charges 20th-century journalists Politicians assassinated in the 1940s Meiji University alumni Burials at Seoul National Cemetery White Shirts Society March First Movement people The Dong-A Ilbo people