Politics26 October 1909

Ahn Jung-geun Shoots Itō Hirobumi

At Harbin Station in Manchuria, Ahn Jung-geun shot dead Itō Hirobumi, architect of Japan’s aggression against Korea. Imprisoned at Lüshun, he wrote On Peace in the East before his execution the next year.

Sketch of the scene of Itō Hirobumi's assassination — Hōchi Shimbun, 4 November 1909
Sketch of the scene of Itō Hirobumi's assassination — Hōchi Shimbun, 4 November 1909

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Ahn had founded schools before going to the Russian Maritime Province to lead a righteous army, where he and his comrades swore an oath by cutting off a finger joint (the Danji Alliance). On 26 October 1909 he shot Itō at the station as Itō arrived in Harbin to meet the Russian finance minister.

At his trial he demanded treatment as a prisoner of war, having shot an enemy commander as a lieutenant general of the Korean righteous army, and listed fifteen crimes of Itō. He was executed at Lüshun Prison on 26 March 1910, leaving unfinished On Peace in the East, which called for Korea, China and Japan to cooperate as equals for peace.

The map in 1909

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States and rulers at the time
Korean Empire — Sunjong
Japan — Emperor Meiji
Qing — Xuantong Emperor (Puyi)
Places
Harbin Station, Lüshun Prison

People

  • Ahn Jung-geun1879 – 1910

    leader · Righteous army leader who shot Itō Hirobumi at Harbin Station in 1909 and was executed at Lüshun while writing On Peace in the East

  • Itō Hirobumi1841 – 1909

    related figure · First prime minister of Japan who forced the 1905 protectorate treaty and became the first Resident-General; shot by Ahn Jung-geun at Harbin

Before and after

Earlier
1909 Gando Convention

Related works

Dramatized works (films, dramas, novels) may differ from the historical record.