Park Sang-jin (1884-1921)
Park Sang-jin was born on December 7, 1884, at what is now Jidang village, Songjeong-dong, Buk-gu, Ulsan Metropolitan City.
In 1897, he studied under the academic guidance of Heowi, a captain of the righteous army, and fostered anti-foreign sentiment.
In 1907, he entered the Department of Law and Economics at Yangjeong Uisuk, which is now Yangjeong Middle and High School in Seoul, and graduated three years later.
In 1912, he returned to his homeland and, along with Kim Deok-gi and Oh Hyeok-tae, founded the Sangdeoktae Sanghoe in Daegu. They established a network with grain merchants in Manchuria and turned their store into a base for independence activities, providing financial support for the independence movement.
In January 1915, Joseon Gukkwon Hoebokdan, a support group for the independence army and a secret society, was formed in Dalseong County, Gyeongsangbuk-do (now part of Daegu Metropolitan City). It was organized for the purpose of restoring Korean sovereignty and carried out various activities such as promoting national consciousness through enlightenment, sharing information with overseas independence organizations, and raising funds for the army.
In July 1915, it merged with the Poong-ki Gwangbokdan in Daegu and established Daehan Gwangbokhoe, with Park Sang-jin taking on the role of the commander-in-chief.
On December 24, 1915, he ordered Woo Jae-ryong and Kwon Young-man to carry out an incident in which they seized a carriage carrying taxes collected by the Japanese in Gyeongju. (Gyeongju Gwangmyeong-ri tax carriage seizure incident)
In 1916, the organization expanded its network by establishing contact points not only in eight provinces in Korea but also in overseas locations such as Jilin, Dandong, and Changchun in China.
On September 4, 1916, Park Sang-jin ordered Jung Woon-il, Choi Byung-kyu, Kim Jin-man, Kim Jin-woo, Kwon Sang-seok, Lim Byeong-ha, and others to execute Seo Du-sun, a pro-Japanese man of wealth in Daegu, but the plan failed (Daegu Pistol Incident).
After his release from prison in July 1917, Park tried to raise funds for the independence movement. In the process, he demanded financial support from pro-Japanese figures such as Jang Seung-won, Yang Jae-hak, and Seo Do-hyun. But when they refused, he carried out the execution of Jang Seung-won by Chae Ki-jung, Yoo Chang-soon, Kang Soon-pil, and Lim Bong-ju on November 10th. On January 24th of the following year, Park Yong-ha was executed by Kim Han-jong, Jang Du-hwan, and others.
However, Jang Du-hwan, who participated in the execution of Park Yong-ha, was arrested, and the organization of the Daehan Gwangbokhoe was exposed. In February 1918, Dr. Park Sang-jin was also arrested by the Japanese police.
After receiving a death sentence from the Daegu District Court, Park Sang-jin spent four years in prison and finally died a martyr on August 11, 1921, at the Daegu Penitentiary.
Park Sang-jin, a great independence activist who changed Korea.
Now, please become Park Sang-jin of the 21st century and complete the Republic of Korea that Park Sang-jin dreamed of.