Authors-comp. B. D. PAK, B. B. PAK.

Moscow, "Pervoe Marta" Publ., 2012, 544 p.

This book is a collective work of Russian Korean scholars devoted to the study of the life, activities and patriotic act of the national hero of Korea Ahn Jung-eun. This is, in fact, the first study that fully reveals the historical significance of this outstanding personality and summarizes the results that were achieved by Russian Orientalists and historians in the previous period.

The book is written on the basis of an in-depth study of carefully selected historical sources, including both archival documents and various publications related to the life and patriotic struggle of Anakin. Thus, we can state with confidence that the peer-reviewed work takes into account all available scientific research on this topic and makes a thorough analysis of archival materials and publications in the press of that time. It follows from the above that in its essence this work is a generalizing and at the same time innovative scientific research.

The authors of this book naturally focus on the act of retribution committed by Ahn Jung-eun and his fellow patriots on October 26, 1909, at the Harbin railway station, when Ito Hirobumi, a prominent Japanese politician who served as the Resident General of Korea in 1906-1909, was killed.

When preparing the book, we used unique archival documents that were gradually introduced into scientific circulation by Russian Orientalists and historians in the 1990s-2000s, as well as new, recently discovered materials. The authors used documents (diplomatic correspondence, reports, telegrams, reports, transcripts) stored in the Russian State Historical Archive, the State Archive of the Russian Federation, the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, etc. At the same time, the authors chose the absolutely correct way to present the material to readers in this case: first, the essence of any issue is presented using excerpts from historical sources, and then these sources (archival documents, newspaper publications, etc.) are presented in full. Especially important are archival documents that are directly related to the event that occurred at the Harbin railway station: eyewitness accounts describing the situation and behavior of Anakin: materials of the preliminary inquiry and investigation, responses in the periodical press, reports and memoirs of eyewitnesses.

The first chapter of the book "Korea in the Years of Ahn Jung-eun's Life and Struggle" introduces the reader to the problems of socio-economic and socio-political development of Korean society in the second half of the XIX-early XX centuries. It provides a detailed description of various aspects of Korean life during this period, shows the growth of Japanese expansion and the response of the patriotic part of the Korean population to the actions of the Japanese, which was expressed, in particular:

in particular, in the active activities of the Uiben detachments. This chapter also summarizes Russia's position on the Korean problem during the period under review.

In the second chapter, "Events leading up to the Harbin tragedy," the authors focus on the activation of the Korean people's resistance movement to the aggressive plans of Japanese imperialism, as well as the activities of Korean patriotic organizations that offered various ways and forms of resistance to the growing expansion that led to the complete annexation of Korea and the deprivation of its state sovereignty. The same chapter describes the preparations for Ito Hirobumi's meeting with Russian Finance Minister Vladimir Kokovtsov.

Chapter THREE "The bloody drama of October 25, 1909 at the Harbin railway station. Retribution " examines the course of preparation, organization and direct implementation of the murder of Ito Hirobumi. The authors convincingly prove that An Jung-eun's patriotic act was not an act of spontaneous protest by a loner, but was a natural result of the colonial policy of Japanese imperialism and the growing wave of indignation and indignation on the part of the Korean people. The biography of Anakin presented in the chapter convinces the reader that his entry into the national liberation movement was natural, and his further work in patriotic organizations and associations developed in him a sense of national pride and irreconcilability to the oppressors of the motherland.

Detailed descriptions of the event of October 25, 1909, based on the testimony and recollections of eyewitnesses, the number of which was very significant, were already given in the works of Russian researchers in the 1990s-2000s, but the authors of this book were able to find and introduce new materials on this issue into scientific circulation, which enrich the description of the events under consideration, clarify take a fresh look at them. In particular, the memoirs of Furuya Hisatsuna, who worked as Ito Hirobumi's secretary for ten years and was part of Ito's entourage at the Harbin railway station (it was Furuya who brought his patron's body to Japan), are very interesting. Furuya's memoirs were contained in his account of these events to the Russian envoy to Tokyo, N. A. Malevsky-Malevich. Furuya's recollections of the last moments of Ito Hirobumi's life are very valuable because the prince's closest subordinate quotes verbatim all the last words spoken by his patron. Furuya's testimony, as the authors of the book show, convincingly refutes the claims of some domestic authors that Ito's last words were: "He shot me. You idiot!" This version is quite common, is present on popular Internet sites, and far-reaching conclusions are drawn from this. In this case, we can say that the sources speak for themselves.

The book also describes in great detail the course of the preliminary investigation conducted by the Russian investigative authorities "in hot pursuit", immediately after the fatal shots fired at the Harbin railway station. This section of the book contains important archival documents, on the basis of which it can be concluded that Russian officials almost immediately recognized the political nature of the murder of Ito Hirobumi, linking it to the colonial policy pursued by Japan in Korea. In this regard, the telegram of the Russian Consul General in Harbin N. Poppe (father of the famous Russian and American orientalist N. N. Poppe) sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, in which he wrote:: "The investigation established that the murder of Prince Ito was committed on political grounds as revenge for his activities in Korea..."

In the fourth chapter, " An Jungyn in Port Arthur prison. Judicial process " the authors, based on archival documents introduced into scientific circulation, show Anakin's courageous behavior during the trial organized by the Japanese, steadfastness and intransigence to the enemies of his homeland. It is interesting to consider the question of an attempt to organize the defense of Anakin in court, made by foreign lawyers: the Russian private attorney K. P. Mikhailov and the Englishman Douglas. This fact shows that the ideas and views of the Korean patriot aroused support not only in his homeland: in different countries at that time there were people who sympathized with the liberation struggle of the Korean people. In this regard, the authors of the reviewed book note that contrary to preliminary agreements, the Japanese authorities refused Mikhailov and Douglas the right to act as official defense lawyers, and they had to be content with the role of legal consultants to the accused.

In the same chapter, readers can find an explanation of the motives that prompted Anjun to make an attempt on the life of Ito Hirobumi. The Korean patriot clearly stated the reasons for why he killed Prince Ito in the course of the investigation in the following points:: 1) for murdering Kojong's wife Min Myeongseong in 1895; 2) for forcing the signing of the protectorate treaty in 1905; 3) for forcing the signing of the seven-point treaty in 1907; 4) for dethroning the Korean Emperor Kojong in 1907; 5) for abolishing the Korean army; 6) for execution of Korean civilians; 7) for seizing power in Korea; 8) for burning all Korean school textbooks; 9) for prohibiting reading Korean newspapers and magazines; 10) for forcibly distributing 1st Japan Bank notes and military receipts instead of money; 11) for forcibly imposing a government loan of 3 million yen by violence; 12) for violating the peace in the East; 13) for misleading all the powers by declaring that Japan is at war with Russia for the independence of Korea and the maintenance of peace in the East.

The fifth chapter deals with the reactions to the murder of Ito Hirobumi and the impact that this event had on Japanese politics and subsequent developments in Korea and neighboring countries. The authors of the book convincingly prove that Ahn Jung-eun's patriotic act inspired Korean patriots and contributed to the rise of the national liberation movement. These conclusions are supported by valuable archival documents. You can, for example, pay attention to N. Biryukov's note on the partisan struggle in Korea in 1909 and to the reports of the Russian Consul General in Seoul, A. S. Somov. The same is evidenced by the publications in the Russian press cited in the book.

It is very interesting to include in this book as an appendix the article by the Hungarian scientist K. Fendler "The Analyn Shots: a View from Austria-Hungary", based on a deep study of the funds of the Archive of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Vienna.

The sixth chapter is entirely devoted to the review of responses in Russia to Analyn's patriotic act and subsequent events related to it. This chapter is mainly based on the analysis of a large number of publications in the Russian press at that time.

It is very valuable that the book contains a full transcript of the trial of Anakin and his comrades, which took place in Port Arthur. The transcript was translated from Japanese and is being published in Russia for the first time. Based on this text, the reader can draw his own conclusions about Ahn Jung-eun's courageous character and unyielding determination to defend his principles and ideals of his homeland in the face of a trial organized by those against whom the Korean people at that time waged a relentless struggle for their freedom and independence.

It is also very significant that the book under review shows Ahn Jung-eun not only as a patriotic fighter for the national independence of Korea, but also as an extraordinary thinker who expressed deep and original ideas about the prospects for the development of Northeast Asia at the beginning of the XX century. For him, the fate of Korea was inseparable from the development of other peoples and States in the region. In this regard, it should be noted that the translation of the Treatise on Peace in the East, written by Anakin, published in the book is of great importance. For the first time, the Russian reader can get acquainted with the content of this work of the Korean patriot and better understand the ideas that prompted him to commit a heroic act.

A peer-reviewed book is an in-depth scientific study based on a thorough study and analysis of a wide range of historical sources and research literature. This work will certainly attract the attention of not only Korean scholars, but also historians of various fields, as well as anyone interested in the history of Korea and Russian-Korean relations, since our country is constantly growing interest in Korea, its history and features of socio-political development. This book can provide answers to many questions of interested readers.

Permanent link to this publication: