Ahn Changho

Life

Ahn Changho was born on November 9, 1878, on Bongsang Island in Chori-myeon, Gangseo County, South Pyeongan Province. The island lies in the lower reaches of the Taedong River and is also known as Dorong Island. His clan seat was Sunheung. Although he was raised under the influence of Confucianism (Neo-Confucianism), he later became a Protestant.

Around the age of nineteen he joined the Independence Club and established its Gwanseo branch in Pyongyang. He gave his first public speech at a Manmin Gongdonghoe (All People's Assembly) held at the Kwaejaejeong pavilion in Pyongyang, and this address earned him a reputation as an outstanding orator. The Manmin Gongdonghoe was a mass public assembly at which ordinary people gathered to discuss affairs of state.

In 1902 he left for the United States to pursue modern learning. According to tradition, he took the pen name "Dosan" ("island mountain") after seeing Hawaii rising above the sea during the voyage. Thereafter he led the national movement while moving among the United States, Korea, and China. In 1932, in the aftermath of Yun Bong-gil's attack at Hongkou Park in Shanghai, he was arrested and brought back to Korea. He died on March 10, 1938, at a university hospital that stood on the present site of Seoul National University Hospital.

Work and Achievements

Ahn is regarded as having been especially gifted at building organizations. His principal activities included the following:

• 1907: Founded the Sinminhoe (New People's Association), a secret society
• 1909: Organized the Cheongnyeon Hagu-hoe (Young Students' Fraternity)
• 1912: Active in the Korean National Association
• 1913: Founded the Heungsadan (Young Korean Academy)
• 1928: Took part in organizing the Korea Independence Party

When the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was established in Shanghai in 1919, he served as Minister of Home Affairs and Acting Prime Minister, helping to lay the government's foundations. He later worked for cooperation between the left and right wings of the movement and also sought to establish an ideal village in Nanjing, China, to serve as a base for the independence movement. He repeatedly stressed that for the nation to achieve independence, its people must first learn and build up their abilities. This conviction underlay the educational and youth organizations he founded. His writings and speeches have been collected in works such as To My Beloved Young People.

Influence on the Korean Church

Ahn is one of the leading independence activists who were Protestants. Wikipedia and other sources identify his faith as Presbyterian. Through his speeches and educational work, he inspired many young people to join the independence movement. For this reason he is discussed in the history of Korean Protestantism as a figure who combined faith with national activism.

How he came to faith, which church he attended, and what offices he held within the church could not be confirmed in this draft. These details should be supplemented on the basis of supporting sources.

Assessment

In 1962 the government of the Republic of Korea posthumously awarded him the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Republic of Korea Medal. Commemorative efforts have continued:

• 1947: The Dosan Ahn Changho Memorial Society was established.
• 1973: Dosan Park was created in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul. His grave, previously located in Manguri Cemetery, was moved there together with the remains of his wife, Helen Lee (Lee Hye-ryeon), which had been in Los Angeles.
• 1998: The Dosan Ahn Changho Memorial Hall opened within Dosan Park.

The Heungsadan holds that his life influenced many fields, including politics, society, education, and culture. Critical views of him and their grounds should be added after the relevant sources have been reviewed.