Reading with Xi Jinping | An Jung-geun History

“Do not waste even a day in idleness; youth doesn’t return a second time” is a line written by An Jung-geun, a famous patriotic Korean martyr. On July 4, 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the Seoul National University in the Republic of Korea (ROK) while on a visit to the country. Xi quoted the line written by An and mentioned that An had hoped young people could cherish their youth and make achievements in their lifetimes.

An Jung-geun was a famous independence activist in the modern history of the Korean Peninsula. After the First Sino-Japanese War (also called the Jiawu War) in 1894, Japan accelerated its aggression and annexation of the Korean Peninsula. An first participated in a patriotic enlightenment campaign by running schools, and then he joined the cause of the Righteous Army, fighting against Japanese aggression in northeast China and the Russian Far East.

On Oct. 26, 1909, An Jung-geun assassinated Ito Hirobumi, who was the President of the Privy Council of Japan and the first Japanese Resident-General of Korea, at the Harbin Railway Station. An was arrested on the spot.

When he was in jail, and in spite of his life being in danger, An Jung-geun began writing his autobiography An Jung-geun History and finished it in 93 days. The autobiography tells stories about An’s life experiences and reveals how he participated in patriotic movements to save his country, providing a true portrayal of his short, but glorious life.

On March 26, 1910, An was executed at a prison in Lyushun, northeast China's Liaoning Province.

In the summer of 1908, An Jung-geun wrote a poem to unite soldiers and civilians participating in the Righteous Army Movement.

A man left his country, having a grand vision,

but has no place to live with his mission not yet accomplished.

Oh! My compatriots, you should make a solid blood oath,

but should not become ghosts with no sense of honor.