MODERN KOREA

          The history of the Modern Korea, means the national suffering because the feudalist Korea became a colony after the aggressions from the foreigner imperialists, where the Chajusong (Independence and self-reliance) of the country was destroyed without mercy.
But also the history of Modem Korea means the energetic fighting of the Korean people to defend their freedom and national sovereignty.

          Dewongun (honorific title of the King's father) tried to save the feudal Kingdom of the Ri dynasty when the peasants' disorders and the frequent aggressions from the U.S. and other European capitalist powers.

          He consolidated the economical base in the country and maintained the Royal authority inside, and at the same time he put all efforts to increase the defence power..

THE KOREAN PEOPLE BURN THE U.S. SHIP 'SHERMAN'

          The hostile North-Americans, that since 1830 tried to convert Korea in their colony and use it like a way to control Asia, in august of 1866 sent the 'Sherman' armoured ship to the Dedong river.

          The soldiers killed the inhabitants with their cannons and stole the little village near the river. Including they asked for 1,000 'soks' of rice and a lot of gold in change of their withdrawal. As an answer, the soldiers and citizens of Pyongyang under the command of Kim Ung U (great-grandfather of the Leader Kim II Sung) burned the ship 'Sherman' and defeated the aggressors.

          In October of the same year the Korean people protected the country against 7 war ships from France in the Kangjua island, and in 1871 the Korean forces defeated hundreds of North-American aggressors in the Jan river, and finally they conquered the fortress of Chochijin and Kuangsonjin.

          The fighting spirit among the Korean people was growing at the same time that they obtained victories, and a big 'Stone against the reconciliation' was erected everywhere.

The stone said:

          'To allow the invasion of the western barbarian means the reconciliation with them, And to accept the reconciliation, means to sell the motherland'

COUP D'ETAT OF KAPSIN AND FIRST BOURGEOISE REVOLUTION

          At the middle of the XIX century, some intellectuals and civil servants wanted to reform the feudal regime and take the road to capitalism. The followers of this idea, formed a group with Kim Ok Kiun in the decade of 1870.

          Because the crisis of the country, they tried to convince the King with the necessity of making a modern reform. At the same time they published a modern newspaper 'Jansong Sunbo' and changed the post and police system.

          But the officials in the power didn't want the reform and avoided them to continue. So in 1884, the reformists made a military coup d'etat forcing out the old ministers and building a new government. They rejected the power of the Qing Dinasty in the internal affairs of Korea, they promoted the reform of the old institutional system and the modernization of the industry, transport and army.

          This was the first bourgeoise revolution that tried the modernization of Korea, but this government had a short life due to the continuous attacks from the foreigners and the different mind of the peasants.

MILITAR REVOLT OF IMO AND PEASANTS' WAR OF KABO

         The sovereignity of the Korean people was continuously under the attack and plunder from the Japanese Imperialists.

          In 1982 (IMO year), the servants of the Queen Min, that spent all the money from the national funds, didn't pay the salary to the soldiers during 10 months, but in change provided the army with rotten cereals and mixed with soil. So when the soldiers wanted to complain, they received severe punishments.

          Finally in July of the same year, the soldiers started a revolt in the Royal Palace against the Queen and her counsellors eliminating all the corrupted officers.
          Later they killed the Japanese military instructor and expulsed all the Nippon aggressors. The Queen Min escaped to Chungzu disguising herself as a prostitute and asked for help to the Qing Dinasty.

          The Qing armed forces helped her and stopped the revolt in a cruel manner. This was the first revolt that united the anti-feudalist forces with the anti-Japanese one.

          With constant battles against the aggression and feudalism, in the year 1884 (KABO year) started a big peasant's war . The rebellion of the peasants in Kobu was extended to all the regions in the province and even to the Chungchong one.

          Son Bong Sun, the peasant's Leader, organized an army with 8000 people and launched the slogans 'Force out the Japanese and Westerners! Change the country politics for the benefit of the people!'

         The feudal governors were scared with the peasants' organization and asked again for help to the Qing Dinasty

          When the Japanese militarists knew that the troops of Qing will go into Korea, they also wanted to send thousand of soldiers under the 'invention' of protecting the Japanese citizens residing in Korea. So at the same time that 1,500 soldiers from Qing arrived from the Asan gulf, the Japanese soldiers arrived to Inchon using two war ships.

          The Japanese occupied by the force the Royal Palace of Korea and attacked the Qing troops, starting in this way the Chinese-Japanese War.

          Seeing the danger in the nation's destiny, Son Bong Sun commanding thousands of peasants soldiers attacked Kongju with the idea of later reaching Seoul. But after 20 days of bloody war against the government and Japanese troops, they were defeated because the modern weapons and equipment of the enemies.

         As repressive measure, the Japanese soldiers killed around 350,000 innocent Korean inhabitants, they plundered each city and raped the women. This facts clearly demonstrated that the Japanese Imperialists were brutal enemies of the Korean people.

         Although the peasants' war failed, it gave an important strike to the Japanese aggressors and boosted the modernization of Korea.

THE JAPANESE IMPERIALIST OCUPATION OF KOREA

          After the Chinese-Japanese war, the Japanese aggression became more evident. The Korean people started the anti-Japanese fighting organizing the Volunteer Corps. This fighting was specially hard after the signing of the Ulsa Treaty in 1905 that symbolized the selling of the motherland to the enemy and affected to more than 60 districts.

          The Volunteer Corps commanded by Sin Doi Sok, started intensive actions in the Kiongsang and Kangwon provinces that defeated a great number of Japanese troops.

          In 1907 the Korean Army was dissolved by the force, so the patriotic soldiers joined the Volunteers and the resistance was extended everywhere in the country.

          The fighting against the Japanese Empire was also resolved outside the country.
In march of 1908, the young patriots Chon Miong Un and Chang In Juan killed the north-american Stevenson, that was diplomatic counsellor of the feudal Korean government and supported actively the Japanese domination of Korea.

          In October of 1909, the patriot An Jung Gun shoot on Ito Hirobumi, ex-premier of Japan and first General resident in Korea, in the train station of Harbin (China).

          The revolt continued until the end of the same year where more than two million people demonstrated the union for the Independence .Everywhere where the Korean people lived, they fought against the Japanese in their respective places like the Soviet Union, Japan and Hawaii.

          Unfortunately this revolt was finally stopped by the cruel repression of the Japanese Army that was higher in troops and weapons.

          Just three months after the Revolt, 23,470 patriots were killed and 46,948 were arrested.
In the Chearn village, Suwon district in Kiongki province, the 1,000 inhabitants died after the Japanese soldiers closed them inside a church and burnt it with children, women and older people inside.

          Although the fighting failed, the People's Revolt of the First of March showed the power and spirit of the Korean people to achieve the freedom and independence. Also this event started a new era,The bourgeois Nationalist Movement finished and the National Liberation Movement directed by the Work's class emerged.