Officer's Suicide Ignites Anti-Japanese Uprising

In 1907, as Japanese influence tightened its grip on the Korean Empire, a pivotal moment of defiance occurred when military officer Park Seung-hwan chose a dramatic act of protest against the forced disbandment of the Korean army.

Park, a 38-year-old professional soldier who had risen through the ranks after graduating from a military academy, was serving as a battalion commander guarding the palace. He had witnessed the escalating Japanese encroachment, including the assassination of Empress Myeongseong in 1895, and harbored a desire for revenge. When Emperor Gojong was forced to abdicate and the new Emperor Sunjong, under Japanese pressure, issued an order to disband the army on July 31, 1907, Park was deeply affected.

Despite being summoned early the next morning, Park feigned illness and did not report for duty. Upon hearing the news of the army's dissolution, he left a suicide note stating, "I am not ashamed to die ten thousand times." Shouting "Long live the Korean Empire!" Park took his own life with a pistol.

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I am not ashamed to die ten thousand times.

News of Park's self-sacrifice ignited a firestorm among his subordinates. Soldiers from his and a neighboring battalion broke into the armory, seized rifles, and launched an armed rebellion at Namdaemun Gate. Approximately 1,500 soldiers participated in this uprising before being suppressed by Japanese forces using machine guns. The scattered soldiers subsequently joined the larger 의병 (uprising) movement, continuing the fight against Japanese occupation.

Park Seung-hwan's tragic end and the subsequent soldier revolt are remembered as a powerful symbol of resistance. His actions are seen as a crucial spark that fueled the broader anti-Japanese 의병 (uprising) movement, embodying the spirit of sacrifice in the face of foreign domination.

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Long live the Korean Empire!