On Valentine’s Day, a Korean Independence Activist Was Sentenced to Death

February 14 is Valentine’s Day!

It’s a time to celebrate romance and spend time with a lover.

Although not as big as Western countries, Valentine’s Day is also celebrated among couples in Korea, having a special date night and exchanging gifts.

But there’s one more thing that Koreans have to remember on the this day.

It’s when a Korean independence activist, An Jung-geun (안중근), was sentenced to death for killing the first Resident-General of Korea, Ito Hirobumi 113 years ago. He was 32 years old. An Jung-geun (안중근) is one of the representative independence activists of Korea.

Did you notice that one of his fingers is short?

He cut his fourth finger of his left hand himself with other peer activists to show their will to independence. To show his will, he wrote “Independence of Korea” on Taegeukgi, the national flag of Korea, in his own blood.

On October 26, 1909, An Jung-geun fired a gun towards Ito Hirobumi at the Harbin railway station.

Three of seven bullets hit Ito Hirobumi’s chest. Until the moment he was arrested, he shouted, “Long live Korean independence!”

In 2022, a movie “Hero”, which shows the true story of An Jung-geun, was released in Korea.