Draft:Namgang Lee Seung-Hoon (2)

Namgang Lee Seung-Hoon

“Rather than being a leader of Joseon, he was a treasure of Joseon. He was the driver of life in Joseon. Even if it is said that Joseon's candle was extinguished after he left, it is not an exaggeration.” - Ham Sok Hon

Introduction

Lee Seung Hoon (Namgang) was a wealthy businessman in Pyeongan, Korea before the Japanese war began, causing him to lose all of his property. However, Namgang was able to rebuild his business and from there went on to build Osan School as a cradle for national leaders. Shortly after he became an educator, he became a part of the Shinminhoe in 1907, an anti-Japanese secret society. Due to his involvement in this secret society, he was involved in the Shinminhoe Incident where 700 Koreans were arrested by the Japanese colonists in 1911. This arrest led him to be the first and last person exiled to Jeju Island and sentenced to ten years in prison. However, he only served five of the ten years he was sentenced.

Lee Seung Hoon also played an integral role in the March 1st Movement in 1919 by being one of the main organizers of the movement. He had a special quote he would say to passersby in order to encourage them to join the March 1st Movement: “You are all masters of this nation, so do not rely on others. All of you must stand up and cry ‘Love Live Korea,’ then we shall be independent.” With the use of these words, Lee Seung Hoon’s goal was to spark “the spirit of the nation.”

Namgang Lee Seung Hoon

Basic Facts

• Born March 25, 1864 in Jeongju Castle, North Pyongan Province.
• Died May 9th, 1930
• Had a brother named Seungmo who was about 5 years older
• Mother: Kim Hongju
• Father Lee Seok-ju

Background and Upbringing

After leaving Jeongju at around 6 years old and attending the writing room after moving, he self taught himself many things through reading after learning the thousand-character script from his father, eventually reading things that were even more advanced. At 10 years old his grandmother passed away, leaving behind him and his 15 year old brother, Seungmo. He was around 11 when Lim Il-Gwon, who ran a large factory, called him and he began to work for and live with him. The experience he gained from working at the factory helped set him up to later succeed in his peddler business, which he started at the age of 16. In his success, he was able to earn wealth and through experience as a factory worker and brassware peddler, became one of the top companies in the country. After being a peddler for about 9 years, he opened his own factory.

Connections

During his time as the founder and a teacher of Osan school, Lee Seung-Hoon was one of Ham Sok Hon’s teachers. His involvement in the MFM movement as well as his teachings and attitudes towards life inspired Ham Sok Hon in many ways, becoming an exemplar of his.

Positive History, The Red Thread and Virtues

Definitions

Red thread - This concept created/discovered by Bertha von Suttner, the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize is defined as the transnational, transgenerational chain of people, ideas, and labors aimed at values that conduce to the uplift of humanity.

Namgang Lee Seung Hoon

Positive History - Inspired by positive psychology, positive history focuses on the narratives of individuals and their virtues that energize one to do something for the uplift of humanity. It also focuses on human flourishing and causes or aims to shift or transform peoples’ perspectives.

Virtue - a character trait of intentional, repeated, deliberate behavior aimed at curing/balancing impulses (7 deadly sins) that pull us away from human flourishing. Virtues allow something/someone to perform its function well and to achieve human flourishing.

The Virtues

Cardinal Virtues: Justice, Prudence, Fortitude and Temperance

Others: Truthfulness, Metanoia, Cosmopolitanism, and Reconciliation

Definitions of the Virtues:

Justice - respecting others’ rights and what they deserve

Prudence - practical wisdom about what the human good is (what human flourishing is) and knowing how to obtain it in your specific circumstances

Fortitude - ability to continue despite setbacks or failure; to pick yourself up and keep going; doing things that follow your will despite your fears; to carry suffering and still realize your goal

Temperance - not sure what the definition of this is (one said resisting urges of sexual desire or hunger in excess and the other said actualizing the human good)

Truthfulness - expression of convictions/beliefs/facts as they are; being true to yourself and your morals/conscience

Metanoia - transformation of the mind/though processes

Cosmopolitanism - respect for people as human beings no matter where they come from

Reconciliation - improvement or forgiveness in previously tense/negative relations

Importance

Knowing history is important in order not to repeat past mistakes, but we must also remember what was done right, so we can repeat them. This is where positive history comes in, in learning about and sharing stories about the good parts of history, we can learn how to grow and respond to recurring issues. We also have a duty to remember those who have made the world a better place and to look up to them as exemplars of the virtues. In doing so, we can inspire unity, hope, positivity, and optimism in the future of humanity. We can also begin to see a bigger picture of history and the connections of people, ideas, and actions within it (the red thread).

Virtues of Lee Seung-Hoon

Fortitude - He faced many hardships growing up poor without parents. When he was 10, his grandma and father died, he went to live with Il Kwon Lim as an errand boy. Later in his life, like during his involvement in the MFM he was arrested several times and exiled, yet he never gave up.

Metanoia - Experienced it when he converted to Christianity. His entire life’s work was to cause others to experience Metanoia. He wanted to educate people, especially the younger generation in order to become national leaders.

Shinminhwe and the Shinminhoe Incident

Lee Seung Hoon became a part of the Shinminhwe in 1907, an anti-Japanese secret society whose mission was to fight Japanese colonization efforts. In order to do this, Lee Seung Hoon and fellow members of Shinminhwe first needed to educate the people of Korea on their identity and culture through building schools. The four main goals of Shinminhwe were 1) to raise awareness of Korean nationality, 2) unite fighters for independence, 3) support Korean industry and economy, and 4) create schools and foster education

Due to Shinminhwe’s involvement in the Korean independence movement, Japan sought out to destroy this secret society by accusing members of the Shinminhwe, among other independence fighters, of assassinating the Japanese Governor General Terauchi Mastake. 700 people were arrested including Lee Seung Hoon, who was sentenced to ten years in prison and was the first and last person to be exiled by Japan to Jeju Island. He was exiled for six months from May to October 1911. After he left Jeju Island, Lee Seung Hoon devoted his life to Osan School and fighting for independence with his involvement in the March 1^st Movement.

Osan School

In December 1907, Lee Seung Hoon created Osan School that he described as “a cradle for training national leaders." The general aim of Osan School was to allow for Korean people to become educated and “aware of their national identity” so that they could become united as an independent people. Lee Seung Hoon believed that instead of fighting Japan violently, the Korean people must first have access to a modern education to allow them to “be able to fight for the nation and the country"

Lee Seung Hoon describes the goals he held for Osan School during his opening speech during the founding in 1907:

"Even though by establishing this school it only provided small assistance, but I wanted to be useful for this country. Today there were only 7 students present, but one day there will definitely be a day where 70 people to 700 people come here. I beg that we can unite into an independent people” (Lee Sueng Hoon, Osan School Opening Speech, 1907).

During Lee Seung Hoon’s imprisonment following the March 1^st Movement, however, Osan School burnt down as a means of rebellion against Japan and did not reopen until 1920. Osan School is still open to this day, bringing about many successful leaders such as Kim Hong II, Kim Tae Soo, and Kang Yeong Hoon.

March 1st Movement

Lee Sueng Hoon (Namgang) was a pivotal leader in the March 1^st Movement. After first hearing about the independence movement from his friend, Choi Nam-seon, after arriving in Seoul he instantly became a part of the movement after learning about its goals. Namgang soon thereafter traveled across Korea to recruit supporters of the March 1^st Uprising Plan and did so successfully “thanks to the trust he had built up in the local community and religious circles over a long period of time." This recruitment brought all different religions together to participate including Christianity, Cheondogyo, and Buddhism, and allowed members of each sect to become national representatives of the rebellion plan.

After Choi Nam-seon wrote the Korean Declaration of Independence which stated that:

“Korea is an independent state and that Koreans are a self-governing people" (Korean Declaration of Independence, 1919).

Lee Sueng Hoon was amongst the first 33 activists to sign the doctrine. In fact, there was an argument over which person would sign the Declaration of Independence first, where Lee Sueng Hoon famously states: “This is the order of death. What is the order? How about using Amu first? Use Son Byeong-hee first!” Knowing these activists were risking their lives signing this document, including Namgang, he reminds everyone that there is no need to fight over who gets to sign the document first, because everyone will most likely be killed or punished for disobeying the Japanese colonial rules.

Shortly after the independence ceremony was held, Lee Seung Hoon (Namgang), among others, were arrested by the Namsan Metropolitan Police Agency and he was imprisoned in Seodaemun Prison for three years for his involvement in the March 1^st Movement and the publishing of the Korean Declaration of Independence.