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Yun Ch'iho

Yun Chi-ho (1945) (Hangul: 윤치호, Hanja: 尹致昊)
Yun Chi-ho (1907)
In this Korean name, the family name is Yun.

Yun Ch'iho (Hangul: 윤치호; January 23, 1865 – December 6, 1945) was a Korean politician. Sometimes his name is written as Yun Tchi-Ho.[1] His art name was Chwaong (Korean: 좌옹), and his courtesy name was Sŏnghŭm (성흠).

Yun was born into a rich and important yangban family.[2] His father, General Yun Ung-nyeol, worked as a minister in the Joseon government.[3] Because of his family, Yun had a special chance to study in other countries. He studied in China, Japan, and the United States. In the U.S., he went to Vanderbilt University[2] and Emory University.[4]

Yun was an important politician during the late Joseon and Korean Empire times. He joined many groups that wanted to change and improve Korea, like the Independence Club, the People's Joint Association, and the New People's Association. At first, he was a strong supporter of Korean independence.[5] He worked in different government jobs. He was also a devoted Methodist Christian[6] and helped lead the Korean YMCA.

Even though Yun was seen as a nationalist in his early years, when Japan took more control over Korea and made it a colony in 1910, Yun started to support Japan. He did not agree with many actions of the Korean independence movement, like the March First Movement. Because of this, many Koreans today think of him as a "chinilpa", a collaborator with Japan .[7]

Early life

Yun Ch'iho was born on December 26, 1864, in a small village called Dunpo-myeon, Asan, in Chungcheong Province. His father, Yun Ung-nyeol, worked as a government official in Joseon. Because his family was part of the yangban aristocracy, Yun Ch'iho got a good education. He was very good at studying Confucian books at the local school and even tried to take the civil-service exams when he was only twelve years old.[5]

From 1871 to 1878, Yun studied Confucianism at a private village school run by a teacher named Chang.

Trip to Japan

Because Yun Ung-nyeol had an important job in the government, he helped Yun Ch'iho join a group of Korean representatives who went to Japan in 1881 to see how Japan was becoming modern.[8] Yun was only sixteen years old then. This trip changed how he thought about the world. He saw how fast Japan was growing and changing, while Korea stayed isolated and slow to change. Yun often wrote in his diary that he wished Korea could become a modern and advanced country like Japan.[9]

Studying in China

In 1885, Yun went to Shanghai, China. He studied at the Anglo-Chinese College where he learned English, math, and other subjects. While in Shanghai, he became a Christian. This was very important for the rest of his life. Yun believed that Christianity was a strong and modern idea that could help Korea grow and become as advanced as Japan and Western countries.[9]

Time in America

Later, Yun studied in America. He started in 1888 at Vanderbilt University and then went to Emory University. He liked many parts of American culture but was upset by the racism he saw in the southern United States. He noticed a conflict between Christian ideas that everyone should be equal if they are good and the unfair treatment of black people by white people.[10] For example, Yun was chosen as the president of a group called the Few Society at Emory for one month.[11] Some classmates did not like this because of their racist beliefs, so Yun tried to say he did not accept the position.[12] While in America, he studied English, theology, and speaking skills. He became very good at English and wrote most of his diaries in English.[9]

Yun Ch'iho as a student at Emory University (1892).

Roles in Government

Interpreter

Yun worked in many important government jobs during his life. He was an interpreter for the first American Foreign Minister in Korea, Lucius Foote. When Foote came to Korea, he asked the Japanese Foreign Minister Inoue Kaoru to find someone to help translate for him in Seoul. Inoue knew Yun Ch'iho from Japan and suggested Yun to help Foote. Foote also helped Yun arrange his studies in Shanghai.[5]

Travel to Russia

Yun traveled to the Russian Empire with some government officials, including Min Young-hwan, to take part in the coronation of Nicholas II. They escaped to Europe from the fort of Incheon.[13]

Vice President of the Privy Council and banishment

Yun was the Vice President of the Privy Council of the Joseon Court from 1898 until 1899. He was banished because some groups in the government did not like him. While banished, he worked as a magistrate in a town called Wonsan in Northern Korea. His banishment did not last long. In 1903, he was called back to work as the Vice Foreign Minister.[5]

Independence movements

The Independence Club

When Yun came back to Korea after studying abroad, small groups of scholars were starting to ask for changes in Korean society and government. One group was called the Independence Club, and Yun joined them. The club worked to teach Korean people about their own history, encouraged using Hangul (the Korean alphabet), and wanted the government to change for the better. While in the club, Yun asked for a government that represented the people more and supported making King Kojong the Gwangmu Emperor.[14] But some people in the government thought the club was becoming too powerful, so in 1899, the club was closed.[6]

The Enlightenment movement

As Japan’s control over Korea grew stronger, Yun supported new groups in the Enlightenment movement. These groups, like the Korean Self-Strengthening Society and the New People's Society, continued the work of the Independence Club. Yun helped by giving speeches and writing pamphlets. When Yun was banished, these groups gave him hope to work for a stronger Korea.[6]

Yun signed the Japan–Korea Agreement as acting Minister of Foreign Affairs because Yi Ha-young was not in office that day.[15] Yun did not agree with the Eulsa Treaty, which made Korea a protectorate of Japan. He told Durham Stevens, who was in Korea, that those who signed the treaty would be hated by Koreans like the traitor Benedict Arnold.[16] But when the treaty was signed, Yun was surprised, especially because Pak Chesoon signed it. He praised Han Kyu-seol, who was the only one who stayed against the treaty until the end.[17] When Min Young-hwan killed himself to show his protest, Yun respected his bravery.[18]

Japanese rule

From a young age, Yun was unhappy with the people of Joseon because he thought they often acted with strong emotions and were not reasonable. In January 1910, he went to the World Missionary Conference in America, and in May, he attended another conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. He came back to Korea in December 1910.

When Japan took over Korea in 1910, Yun Ch'iho worked with others to fight against the Japanese control. He spoke out against the Japanese and supported Korean independence.[3] In 1911, he was judged for being involved in a plan to kill the Japanese Governor General of Korea. People inside some independence groups that Yun joined told Japanese officials that Yun helped plan an assassination attempt.[2] Yun was one of six people found guilty and sent to prison. His punishment included torture as a result of the 105-Man Incident. His time in prison made him less open about his strong nationalist feelings.[3] He was freed after only six years in jail. During that time, he did not write in his diaries. His time in the Japanese prison seemed to change how he acted after he got out. His release was a turning point for Yun Ch’iho. After that, he started to say many things supporting Japan and showed less support for Korean nationalist groups.

March First Movement

The March First Movement was a peaceful protest on March 1, 1919. Many Koreans showed they wanted independence from Japan by protesting in the streets. They were inspired by Woodrow Wilson’s idea of "self-determination" from the Paris Peace Conference the year before. Yun thought that European countries would not take the protest seriously. He said that it is smarter to protect land than to sell it to support the independence movement. He also said would be better to help poor children get an education than to encourage students to protest. Yun believed showing people how to live a good religious life would help Korea more than sending people to jail for shouting "mansei" (which means "long live"). He said Koreans should learn and be patient now.[9]

World War Two

The Suyang Club [ko] Club Incident happened in 1936. Members of the Suyang Club, a Korean group for enlightenment, were arrested because they shared prints called "The role of Christians to save the nation that has fallen (to the Japanese)."[19] Yun promised to take responsibility for the members involved, and they were all freed. He tried to help Ahn Chang-ho get free too, but the Japanese Government did not agree. In 1938, another incident called the Heungeup Club [ko] Club Incident happened. Yun again promised the good behavior of the members, and they were all released.

During the Japanese rule, Yun was strongly against Japan controlling Korea. He did not go to events held by the Japanese government. In 1940, he was punished for not attending one of these events.

In 1939, the Japanese government ordered Koreans to change their names to Japanese style, called the Sōshi-kaimei policy. Yun wanted to delay this because many Koreans felt strongly against it. The Japanese government agreed and delayed the policy until the next year. In May 1940, at a Japanese government meeting, Yun’s family name was changed to Ito (Hangul: 이토; Hanja: 伊東). This forced name change made his new name Ito Chikho.

After Japan took over Korea in 1910, Yun mostly avoided Japanese official events. In the 1940s, the Japanese government watched him closely and investigated him. In 1943, he was made an advisor to the Japanese Government-General of Korea’s Privy Council, as Japan forced their rules on Korea.

Later years

In 1945, Yun was chosen to be a member of the Japanese House of Peers.[20] But later that year, Korea became independent after Japan surrendered.

In October 1945, Yun sent two copies of a letter called "An Old Man's Thoughts." He sent one to John R. Hodge and the other to Syngman Rhee and Kim Ku. He did not get any reply from them.

In November 1945, Yun went back to Korea. He died in December in a place called GoryeoJeong in Kaesong. Some people say he may have taken his own life, but there is no proof of this. He was 80 years old.

Yun Ch’iho was the uncle of Yun Bo-seon, who became President of South Korea in 1960, and Yun Il-seon, who was the first Korean expert in pathology and anatomy.

Works

  • Yun Chi-ho's Diary
  • Pocket book of English language grammar (Hangul: 영어문법첩경) : The first English language grammar and collection of English Dictionary's of Korea
  • Chanmiga
  • Humor Book: Humor collections Korea

Related pages

References

  1. ↑ Yun, Tchi-Ho [Chi'-ho (1865-1945)]Boston University.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "100 Koreans Freed; But Baron Yun Chi-ho and Other Prominent Men Are Found Guilty," New York Times. March 21, 1913.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Changing Sides," National Geographic. July 2003.
  4. ↑ Loftus, Mary J. "A Search for Truth; Yun Chi-Ho's Legacy is Rediscovered by his Great-granddaughter," Archived July 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Emory Magazine, Vol 80, No. 1, Spring 2004.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Clark, Donald N. Yun Ch'i-ho (1864–1945): "Portrait of a Korean Intellectual in an Era of Transition". Source: Occasional Papers on Korea, No. 4 (September 1975), pp 37-42, 46-50, 54-56, 57, 58
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Chandra, Vipan. "Imperialism, Resistance, and Reform in Late Nineteenth-Century Korea: Enlightenment and the Independence Club". (1988) Regents of the University of California ISBN 0-912966-99-8, pp 89-91, 137, 172
  7. ↑ Caprio, Mark (2007). "Loyal Patriot? Traitorous Collaborator? The Yun Ch'iho Diaries and the Question of National Loyalty." Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History, Volume 7, Number 3.
  8. ↑ Schmid, Andre. "Korea Between Empires". (2002) Columbia University Press ISBN 0-231-12538-0 pp. 47, 49, 76, 112
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Yun, Chi-ho. "Yun Chi-Ho's Diaries". Vol I-X. 1975 National History Compilation Committee. Seoul, Korea
  10. ↑ Urban, Andrew. Yun Ch'i-ho's Alienation by Way of Inclusion: A Korean International Student and Christian Reform in the 'New' South, 1888–1893. Journal of Asian American Studies 17 (3) (October 2014). p. 305–336. doi:10.1353/jaas.2014.0032.
  11. ↑ Urban, Andrew. Yun Ch'i-ho's Alienation by Way of Inclusion: A Korean International Student and Christian Reform in the 'New' South, 1888–1893. Journal of Asian American Studies 17 (3) (October 2014). p. 305–336. doi:10.1353/jaas.2014.0032.
  12. ↑ Urban, Andrew. Yun Ch'i-ho's Alienation by Way of Inclusion: A Korean International Student and Christian Reform in the 'New' South, 1888–1893. Journal of Asian American Studies 17 (3) (October 2014). p. 305–336. doi:10.1353/jaas.2014.0032.
  13. ↑ 윤, 경남. No Title (in ko) (2014-07-15)신앙과지성사. ISBN 978-89-6907-142-2.
  14. ↑ Neff, Robert D. "Korea through Western Eyes". (2009) Seoul National University Press. ISBN 978-89-521-1003-9 pp 137
  15. ↑ No Title. db.history.go.kr. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  16. ↑ No Title. db.history.go.kr. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  17. ↑ No Title. db.history.go.kr. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  18. ↑ No Title. db.history.go.kr. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  19. ↑ No TitleEncyclopedia of Korean Culture.
  20. ↑ (in Korean) Yun Ch'iho, Naver Encyclopedia

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