Jang In-hwan
Encyclopedia
Jang In-hwan was a Korean independence activist. He is best known along with Jeon Myeong-un
for his role in the 1908 assassination
of Japan
lobbyist and former American
diplomat Durham Stevens
.
, emigrated from Korea to Hawaii
in February 1905, and from there to the continental United States in August 1906. He became involved with the Korean independence movement
while living there, and joined the Daedong Bogukhoe. In March 1908, infuriated by Stevens' remarks about Japanese rule in Korea, the Daedong Bogukhoe held a joint meeting with the Gongnip Hyeophoe, another local association of Koreans of which Jeon was a member. Yang Ju-eun, a fellow member of the association, recalled in a 1974 interview that Jang, in contrast to Jeon, did not say a single word during that meeting; Jang had a reputation as a "quiet and shy Christian gentleman." However, he purchased a gun from his roommate in order to circumvent laws which prevented Asians from owning guns.
On March 23, 1908, Jeon and Jang approached Stevens at the Port of San Francisco
as he prepared to embark on a ferry to Oakland
to make a rail connection to Washington, D.C. Jeon fired his revolver
at Stevens first, but missed, and instead rushed at him, using his weapon as a club
to hit Stevens in the face. Jang then accidentally fired into the melee, striking Stevens twice in the back; Jeon was also shot in the confusion. The crowd which had gathered urged that they be lynched
on the spot; Jang was arrested and held without bail on a charge of murder, while Jeon was sent to the hospital for treatment. He received news of Stevens' death two days later with "manifest delight".
. During the trial, he planned to use Arthur Schopenhauer
's theory of "patriotic insanity" to argue that Jang was not guilty by reason of insanity. Jang's trial was originally scheduled to begin on 27 July in the San Francisco Superior Court. However, on the day of the trial, presiding judge Carroll Cook
held a conference in chambers with Coughlan and several members of the Korean community, as a result of which the trial was delayed by one month. The jury found him guilty of second-degree murder on 23 December of that same year. Jang himself stated through an interpreter that he would prefer death rather than imprisonment; however, he was ordered to serve a 25-year sentence at San Quentin State Prison
, but was released in 1919, having served only 10 years. He repatriated to Korea in 1927, where he attended the wedding of Cho Man-sik
and established an orphanage in Sonchon
, North Pyongan; however, under pressure from the Japanese government of Korea
, he returned to the United States again. He committed suicide in San Francisco in 1930, and was buried there.
Jang was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation
by South Korea
's Ministry of Patriots' and Veterans' Affairs in 1962. In 1975, South Korean president
Park Chung-hee
ordered that he be reburied in the Seoul National Cemetery
.
Jeon Myeong-un
Jeon Myeong-un was a Korean independence activist. He is best known along with Jang In-hwan for his role in the 1908 assassination of Durham Stevens, a former American diplomat in Japan who was later appointed as an advisor to the Joseon Dynasty government.Jeon was a member of the Gongnip...
for his role in the 1908 assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
lobbyist and former American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diplomat Durham Stevens
Durham Stevens
Durham White Stevens was an American diplomat and later an employee of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs...
.
Incident
Jang, a ChristianChristianity in Korea
The practice of Christianity in Korea revolves around two of its largest branches, Protestantism and Catholicism, accounting for 8.6 million and 5.1 million members respectively. Roman Catholicism was first introduced during the late Joseon Dynasty period...
, emigrated from Korea to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in February 1905, and from there to the continental United States in August 1906. He became involved with the Korean independence movement
Korean independence movement
The Korean independence movement grew out of the Japanese colonial rule of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945. After the Japanese surrendered, Korea became independent; that day is now an annual holiday called Gwangbokjeol in South Korea, and Chogukhaebangŭi nal in North Korea.-Background:In...
while living there, and joined the Daedong Bogukhoe. In March 1908, infuriated by Stevens' remarks about Japanese rule in Korea, the Daedong Bogukhoe held a joint meeting with the Gongnip Hyeophoe, another local association of Koreans of which Jeon was a member. Yang Ju-eun, a fellow member of the association, recalled in a 1974 interview that Jang, in contrast to Jeon, did not say a single word during that meeting; Jang had a reputation as a "quiet and shy Christian gentleman." However, he purchased a gun from his roommate in order to circumvent laws which prevented Asians from owning guns.
On March 23, 1908, Jeon and Jang approached Stevens at the Port of San Francisco
Port of San Francisco
The Port of San Francisco lies on the western edge of the San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate. It has been called one of the three great natural harbors in the world, but it took two long centuries for navigators from Spain and England to find the anchorage originally called Yerba Buena...
as he prepared to embark on a ferry to Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
to make a rail connection to Washington, D.C. Jeon fired his revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
at Stevens first, but missed, and instead rushed at him, using his weapon as a club
Pistol-whipping
Pistol-whipping is the act of using a handgun as a blunt weapon, wielding it as if it were a club or blackjack. "Pistol-whipping" and "to pistol-whip" were reported as "new words" of American speech in 1955, with cited usages from 1940s...
to hit Stevens in the face. Jang then accidentally fired into the melee, striking Stevens twice in the back; Jeon was also shot in the confusion. The crowd which had gathered urged that they be lynched
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
on the spot; Jang was arrested and held without bail on a charge of murder, while Jeon was sent to the hospital for treatment. He received news of Stevens' death two days later with "manifest delight".
Trial
Because there was insufficient evidence to prove that Jeon and Jang had conspired with each other, Jeon was released in June, and Jang ordered to stand trial as the sole defendant. The Korean community hired three lawyers to defend Jang, among whom one, Nathan Coughlan, eventually agreed to take on the case pro bonoPro bono
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
. During the trial, he planned to use Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher known for his pessimism and philosophical clarity. At age 25, he published his doctoral dissertation, On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason, which examined the four separate manifestations of reason in the phenomenal...
's theory of "patriotic insanity" to argue that Jang was not guilty by reason of insanity. Jang's trial was originally scheduled to begin on 27 July in the San Francisco Superior Court. However, on the day of the trial, presiding judge Carroll Cook
Carroll Cook
Carroll Cook was an attorney and judge for the Superior Court, in San Francisco, California, best known for the national attention drawn to some of his rulings in famous cases, several of which were upheld by the United States Supreme Court-Cases:Judge Cook, in the case of Cordelia Botkin, made...
held a conference in chambers with Coughlan and several members of the Korean community, as a result of which the trial was delayed by one month. The jury found him guilty of second-degree murder on 23 December of that same year. Jang himself stated through an interpreter that he would prefer death rather than imprisonment; however, he was ordered to serve a 25-year sentence at San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
, but was released in 1919, having served only 10 years. He repatriated to Korea in 1927, where he attended the wedding of Cho Man-sik
Cho Man-sik
Cho Man-sik was an activist in Korea's independence movement. He became involved in the power struggle that enveloped North Korea in the months following the Japanese surrender after World War II, but was eventually forced from power by the Soviet-backed communists in the north...
and established an orphanage in Sonchon
Sonchon
Sonchon is a kun, or county, on the coast of the Yellow Sea in west-central North Pyongan province, North Korea. To the north it borders Chonma, to the east Kusong and Kwaksan, and to the west Tongrim; to the south, it borders nothing but the sea...
, North Pyongan; however, under pressure from the Japanese government of Korea
Governor-General of Korea
The post of Japanese Governor-General of Korea served as the chief administrator of the Japanese government in Korea while it was held as the Japanese colony of Chōsen from 1910 to 1945...
, he returned to the United States again. He committed suicide in San Francisco in 1930, and was buried there.
Jang was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation
Order of Merit for National Foundation
The Order of Merit for National Foundation is an Order of South Korea. It is typically reserved for those who contributed to the founding of the modern Republic of Korea.It is awarded in five grades:...
by South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
's Ministry of Patriots' and Veterans' Affairs in 1962. In 1975, South Korean president
President of South Korea
The President of the Republic of Korea is, according to the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, chief executive of the government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the head of state of the Republic of Korea...
Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee was a Republic of Korea Army general and the leader of South Korea from 1961 to 1979. He seized power in a military coup and ruled until his assassination in 1979. He has been credited with the industrialization of the Republic of Korea through export-led growth...
ordered that he be reburied in the Seoul National Cemetery
Seoul National Cemetery
The Seoul National Cemetery is located in Dongjak-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea. When established by presidential decree of Syngman Rhee in 1956, it was the country's only national cemetery. An additional national cemetery was established in 1974 in Daejeon...
.