Giovanni Tellez

Bryan Lopez
Erick Salazar
Victoria Cruz
Korean Hero
1. Childhood

An Jung Geun (안중근) was born on September 2nd, 1879 in Haeju which is located in
North Korea. An Jung Geun was born to An Tae-Hun (안태훈) and Jo Maria (조성녀) with his
childhood name being An Jung-Chil (안응칠). In his early childhood, An Jung Geun was
interested in western sciences and Chinese literature but the majority of his attention went
towards martial arts and marksmanship. It is assumed that he grew up in Haeju up to the age of
16 which was up until he was forced to flee. Kim Gu (a man who took refuge in An’s father’s
home) recorded that young An was an exceptional marksman, who enjoyed reading books and
had a strong personality. He would later be tried and prosecuted by the Japanese forcing him to
flee. Taking refuge in a Catholic church in which a French priest would baptize him repeatedly,
as well as announcing him of new name of Thomas. This had a great influence on An as he was a
Catholic for the rest of his life. Geun would be married very young, only at the age of 16 having
only three children.

2. Family

An Jung Geun’s mother was Jo Seong-nyeo and his father was An Tae-Hun, he grew up
with both of his parents in his early childhood. An Jung Geun had 3 siblings, 2 brothers, An
Jung-Geun, An Gong-Geun and one sister An Sung-Nyu. An made sure his voice was heard by
participating in the Korean Independence and resisting Japanese control. He devoted his life and
energy towards the independence for Korea because of the vow he made to his father to do
exactly that before he passed away. ​An Jung-Geun was influenced deeply by his father and his
health problems, dedicating himself to Korea’s freedom from Japanese control. Although not
much is known about An Jung Geun’s relationship with his family, information shows that he
was close to his father and had a good relationship with his mother and siblings. An’s brothers
met with him so that they could deliver their mother’s message that read “​Your death is for the
sake of your country, and don't ask for your life in a cowardly manner. ​Your brave death for
justice is a final filial regards to your mother." ​ When he was 16, An Jung-Geun got married to
Kim Aryeo, he had two sons and a daughter with her, though not much is known whether or not
An Jung’s wife had a major role in his life.
3. Accomplishments
One of the things that could be considered an accomplishment is the assassination of Ito
Hirobumi. The murder of Itō by An was definitely something that changed the course of history
and influenced it in a major way. Ito Hirobumi’s assassination was rejoiced by both Koreans and
Chinese since both of them had struggled against the Japanese invasion. Chinese political leaders
like Liang Qichao, Sun Yat-sen, and Yuan Shikai wrote a lot of poems that publicly praised An.
A 100 year memorial to An was held in South Korea on March 26, 2010, this ceremony​ ​was led
by ​Chung Un-Chan​ who was the prime minister at that time. ​An was also highly known and
famous for ​calligraphy​ works. When An was in prison, many prison guards, like Chiba Toshichi,
really respected An, a lot of them made requests for An to create calligraphy pieces for them. An
left behind many pieces of his calligraphy which were mainly crafted in the jail of Lushun. An
was very good at calligraphy despite him never studying it formally. An often times left his
handprint as a signature. An’s left hand ​was missing the last joint of his ring finger. This joint
was missing because he cut off as a vow to kill Itō to his friends. Some of An’s work ​was
proclaimed as Treasure to the Republic of Korea in 1972. A really famous piece of his is “Unless
one reads every day, thorns grow in the mouth,” this is quoted from the Analects of ​Confucius​.
In South Korea An is considered as a patriotic martyr. There is​ a museum built in Seoul, Korea
in order to honor An and the life he lead. ​In the year 1962, An won and received the “Korea's
Order of Merit for National Foundation” award for all of his effort and actions towards
Korean independence and the resistance of Japanese control.​ All in all, he was a very
accomplished man with many different talents and had several things to be remembered for,
every year on same day of his death a tribute is held in Seoul, Korea.
4. Problems/Obstacles

One of the many challenges or obstacles that An Jung- Geun had to face was having to
flee at the young age of 16. He had to flee because of the Japanese and was forced to enter an
environment where he wasn’t comfortable or familiar with at an age where teenagers are just
learning to find themselves. He then joined the Catholic church with his father and found peace
within Catholicism. Another obstacle An Jung Geun had to deal with is when he was faced with
the death of his father, Tae Hoon An. His father died in 1879 when An was 31 years old​. ​He
devoted his life and energy towards the independence for Korea because of the vow he made to
his father to do exactly that before he passed away. He also swore that he would not drink
alcoholic beverages until the day Korea was no longer controlled by the Japanese. An Jung
responded to the death of his father by accomplishing his promise that he made to his father by
killing Ito Hirobumi. After the assassination of Ito Hirobumi, Korea was free from Japan’s
control and claimed its independence. An Jung felt proud that he was able to accomplish this
goal before he died.
5. End of Life

When An Jung Geun assassinated Itō Hirobumi, the Japanese prime minister, he was
arrested by Russian guards and later turned over to the Japanese colonial authorities. An once
said, "I have ventured to commit a serious crime, offering my life for my country. This is the
behavior of a noble-minded patriot." After six trials with the Japanese colonial court in Ryojun,
An was sentenced to death. He was angered at the sentence because he wanted to be treated as a
war prisoner rather than an assassin. He wanted the guards to help him finish his essay and white
silk Korean clothes as his final wishes before he died. An wanted to die by a firing squad, the
way prisoners of war died but alternatively was directed to be hung as a regular criminal. An was
executed in Ryojun (Lüshunkou District), on March 26, 1910. His grave hasn’t been found.

6. Other Things to Consider

An Jung Geun’s life was admirable because of his assassination of Ito Hirobumi. He
received an abundance of recognition after assassinating Ito Hirobumi. An Jung Geun had human
qualities that helped him fulfill this action. The types of human qualities that An Jung Geun had
were courage, optimism, and determination. These human qualities influenced An Jung Geun to
help his comrades and the people of Korea to fight for their independence and freedom. All three
of An Jung Geun’s human qualities were beneficial because it gave hope and confidence to the
people of Korea to fight the Japanese. Guen did not regret making this decision because he was
fighting for a better future where Korea would be free from Hirobumi’s control. Thus making An
Jung Geun a nobleman by sacrificing his own life for a better future for Korea and the people of
Korea.

7. Final Question (Mandatory)

A hero is someone that is acknowledged for their bravery or noble qualities. It can also be
about their achievements that they have done for other people’s benefit. An Jung Geun is
considered a hero because not only he was recognized for his actions during the battle of Korea’s
independence, he is also a person that fought for other people’s freedom. A hero is different from
a celebrity because a celebrity is known for their talents and having fame for their talent. While a
hero is known for their actions, their courageous deeds, and their achievements. No one in
history looks down at An Jung Geun for his actions during the battle of independence. The
reason why is because Geun decided to assassinate Ito Hurumbi as a sign that Korea wants
freedom and they want to be an independent country. This is the reason why An Jung Geun is
considered a hero in history.