Chihapo incident

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The Shihapo Incident (Korean: 치하포사건, Korean pronunciation: [Chihaposageon];) is a murder case committed by Kim Gu and others in Shihapo, Hwanghae-gun, Hwanghae-do in Yi Dynasty Korea on March 9, 1896.. When Kim Gu ordered a meal, he was upset to see the waitress give a meal to Japanese Tsuchida Josuke (土田譲亮) before him and killed him as a punishment. Kim Gu assaulted Tsuchida in a group, beat him to death.They stole his money and threw his body into a frozen river.

After escaping in this case, Kim Gu was captured and sentenced to death for robbery and murder by Justice in Lee's Korea. His sentence was later commuted by a special pardon and he escaped further from prison. In South Korea, he is praised as Jihapo uprising.

In his autobiography, 'Baekbeom Ilji' (백범일지, 白凡逸志, Baekbeom Journal), he insisted that Tsuchida could be one of his accomplices who killed the queen, he should revenge for my queen by killing this Japanese man.

Details of incident

According to Joseon Government report (interrogated by the Incheon port police officer on August 31, 1896, drafted by Kim Soon-geun),the details of the incident are as follows.

1. Kim Kyu (Kim Changsu) arrived at Shibagapo on the 24th by the same boat as Jeong Il-myeong (Pyongyang), Jeongpyeong (Hamgyeong Province),with Kim Jang-son and Kim Chi-hyong on the way from Yonggang to Anyak and stayed at the same inn.
2. When a person with a short haircut and a sword demanded food first, the female waitress gave him food first at the inn.The behavior of waitress made him very angry.
3. He kicked the Japanese and beated him to death with his hand and threw him into the freezing river.
4. He robbed his wallet and paid rent. They decided to use it to fund the three of them.
5. They also robbed a ring of swords ,a donkey and oval gold coin.
6. He got a donkey and some money and went to Jining on his own.
7. In March of the same year, he was arrested by the Haishu patrol after he came home.

Similar documents are also found in Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies in Seoul National University in Korea.The name of documents are "黃海道來去案 奎 17986 (Kui 17986) "

According to Japanese record of the incident, "A follow-up report on the situation at the Port of Incheon by Moriichi Hagiwara, Administrative Assistant of the Consulate of Japan in Incheon (在仁川領事館事務代理萩原守一ヨリ仁川港ノ情況ニ付続報ノ件)" the details of the incident are as follows.

1. An ordinary citizen of Nagasaki Prefecture, Tsuchida Joryo accompanied a Korean (20 years old from Yonggang, Pyongan-do) from Hwangju to Jinnampo, going down the Daedong River by ship from Hwangju and stayed in Jisapo on the night of March 8th.
2. At around 3 o'clock in the morning of the next day, they finished the preparation for sailing and went to Yi Hwa-bo inn where they had breakfast. When they returned to the ship, they were beaten to death by 4 to 5 Koreans who were staying at the inn.
3. The Koreans who were accompanying him were also nearly killed, but they barely escaped danger and returned to Pyongyang on the night of March 12, and reported the incident to Inspector Pyongwon. On March 15, Inspector Pyongyang, accompanied by two officers and five prosecutors, went to the scene of the crime and was about to conduct an autopsy, but the owner of the inn fled. The body of the murderer had already been dumped in the river and an autopsy could not be performed.

Original text

長崎縣平民土田譲亮なる者朝鮮人1名（平安道龍岡居住林学吉二十歳）を隨へ、黄州より帰仁の為め鎮南浦へ向ふの途次、黄州十二浦より韓船一隻を僦ひ大同江を下り、3月8日夜治下浦に泊し、翌9日午前3時頃同所出帆の用意を了へ、喫飯の為め同所旅宿業李化甫方に到り再び帰船の際、同家の庭前に於て同家宿泊韓人4、5名の為め打殺せられたり。 雇韓人林も亦殺害の難に遭はんとせしも、辛ふじて危険を逃れ、同12日夜平壌に来り同所駐留平原警部に右の顛末を訴へたるを以て、同警部は巡査2名、巡検5名を率ひて同15日現場に臨み検視を行はんとせしに、右旅宿主人は警部等の到を聞きて逃走し、殺害者の屍体は既に河中に投棄したるを以て検死することを得ず。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　───在仁川領事館事務代理萩原守一ヨリ仁川港ノ情況ニ付続報ノ件

You can learn more about this incident in detail in Confidential No. 41(機密第41号, dated May 30, 1896), in addition to the Asian History Resource Center reference code A04010024500.

Description of the Chihapo incident in Kim Gu's autobiography

In his book Baek Beom Ilji , Kim Gu described as follows:

Since many Japaneses go through Chihapo every day, there is no reason for him to disguise as a Korean if he were an ordinary merchant or workman. Could he be Miura or one of his accomplices who killed the queen, fled from Seoul and hiding here? Even if he is not, a Japanese man with a disguise and a sword can do nothing but harm to my country and people. I will revenge for my queen by killing this Japanese man.

───Baekbeom Ilji

Kim Gu insisited that Josuke Tsuchida as a Japanese soldier. But, neither the Japanese record, the Joseon record nor Korean newspaper at the time said that Josuke Tsuchida was a soldier

In 1997, Professor Do Jin-soon of Changwon University argued that according to data from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which he found, Josuke Tsuchida was a merchant  belonging to the Gyerim Shogunate (鷄林奬業團) . This is also contained in the 1997 edition of Baek Beom Ilji's Commentary on Do Jin-soon, but in the 2002 edition, Do Jin-soon himself withdrew this claim and deleted the Gyerim Market Industry Group, and there is no direct evidence that he was a member of the Gyerim Industry Group other than that Josuke Tsuchida was a merchant. In addition, it is argued that the Gyerim Industrial Corps was organized in May 1896 after the Chihapo incident, and that the timing is not correct. In addition, journalist and former lawmaker Son Se-il also expressed the opinion that the Japanese, named Tsuchida in his books Syngman Rhee and Koo Kim, were only civilians from Tsushima.

Impact on Korean independence movement

The Jihapo incident is praised as a "Jihapo uprising" in South Korea, in which Kim Gu took the first step towards independence activism. Kim was tortured and sentenced to death. According to 'Baekbeom Ilji', however, many Korean people were sympathetic and admired him for his patriotism and bravery, as shown by the facts that his execution was suspended by order of Emperor Gwangmu, that Korean judicial officials behaved politely to him despite Japanese pressure to execute him promptly, and that influential Koreans at the time (including major merchants of Incheon) made efforts to rescue him by repeated petitions to Korean Justice Department Officials and by collecting money for his ransom before his scheduled execution date.

See also

• Kim Gu
• Korean independence movement
• Baekbeom Ilji
• List of Korea-related topics
• Kim Koo Museum

External Links

• Kim Koo Museum & Library
• Kim Koo Memorial Association

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