An Jung-geun Assassinates Itō Hirobumi (October 26, 1909)
On October 26, 1909, Korean independence fighter An Jung-geun shot and killed Itō Hirobumi, Japan's first Resident-General of Korea, at the Harbin railway station in Manchuria. The assassination, carried out in front of Russian and Japanese dignitaries, became one of the most consequential political killings in East Asian history, hastening Japan's formal annexation of Korea less than a year later. An remains a revered national hero in Korea, while his act remains a source of historical tension between Korea and Japan.
Japan's Tightening Grip on Korea
By 1909, Korea existed as a protectorate under Japanese control following the Eulsa Treaty of 1905, which stripped the Korean Empire of its diplomatic sovereignty. Itō Hirobumi, a four-time Japanese prime minister and architect of the Meiji Constitution, served as the first Resident-General of Korea beginning in 1906, overseeing the dismantling of Korean political independence. His administration disbanded the Korean army in 1907 and forced Emperor Gojong to abdicate in favor of his son, Sunjong, provoking widespread resistance. Righteous armies (uibyeong) formed across the peninsula, waging guerrilla warfare against Japanese forces and Korean collaborators. Amid this turmoil, An Jung-geun, a devout Catholic and former educator born in 1879 in Hwanghae Province, joined the resistance movement, eventually fleeing to Russian-controlled territory in Manchuria to organize armed opposition. Though Itō was, ironically, viewed by some in Japan as a relative moderate who favored gradual assimilation over immediate annexation, Korean nationalists saw him as the chief architect of their nation's subjugation. An formed a secret society with eleven other Korean patriots, several of whom cut off a finger in a blood oath pledging to resist Japanese colonization, and he began tracking Itō's movements as the statesman traveled through the region for diplomatic talks with Russian officials.
Did You Know?
An Jung-geun and his fellow resistance fighters sealed their oath to fight Japanese rule by each cutting off the top joint of their left ring finger, mixing their blood to sign a document in red ink. Photographs of An's mutilated hand, pressed in an inked handprint, later became one of the most iconic images associated with the Korean independence movement.
The Shooting at Harbin Station
Itō arrived at Harbin railway station, then under Russian administration in northeastern China, on the morning of October 26, 1909, to meet with Russian Finance Minister Vladimir Kokovtsov. As Itō disembarked and reviewed a Russian honor guard on the platform, An Jung-geun, who had concealed himself among the crowd of dignitaries and onlookers, drew a Browning pistol and fired seven shots. Three bullets struck Itō, then 68 years old, in the chest and abdomen; he died approximately thirty minutes later aboard the train. An also wounded three other Japanese officials in the encounter before Russian guards seized him. Rather than attempting to flee, An reportedly shouted "Korea, hurrah!" (Korea Ura in Russian) three times, proclaiming his responsibility for the act and his cause. Russian authorities quickly transferred custody of An to Japanese officials, given Japan's territorial interests in the region. He was taken to Port Arthur (Lüshun) for trial by a Japanese court, where he calmly and articulately defended his actions not as murder but as a legitimate act of war carried out by a military commander of Korea's righteous army against an enemy who had usurped his nation's sovereignty.
Trial, Execution, and Lasting Legacy
An Jung-geun's trial began in February 1910 and drew international attention, with An using the courtroom as a platform to enumerate fifteen specific charges against Itō, including the forced treaties, the abdication of Emperor Gojong, and the murder of Korea's Empress Myeongseong in 1895. Despite his eloquent defense and requests from sympathizers for leniency, the Japanese court sentenced him to death. An was executed by hanging on March 26, 1910, at Lüshun Prison at age 30, having spent his final months writing a treatise titled 'A Treatise on Peace in the East,' which envisioned cooperative independence among Asian nations rather than Japanese domination. His remains were never returned to Korea, as Japanese authorities buried him in an unmarked location, and their whereabouts remain unknown today. The assassination did not deter Japan's expansionist plans; instead, it removed a relatively moderate voice and strengthened arguments within the Japanese government for outright annexation, which occurred on August 29, 1910, ending the Korean Empire and beginning 35 years of direct colonial rule under the name Chōsen. In modern Korea, An Jung-geun is celebrated as a foundational independence hero, with memorials, museums, and a dedicated day of remembrance honoring his sacrifice.