[One Thousand Characters a Day] An Jung-geun's 'Theory of Human Heart Unity (Inshim Gyeolhabron)'

Editor's NoteAsia Economy provides daily 1,000-character transcription content for the 'Harumanbo Harucheonja' newsletter readers. The transcription content is carefully selected according to themes on a daily and monthly basis from Eastern and Western classics, Korean literature, famous columns, and notable speeches.
Today, ahead of the '104th Samiljeol (March 1st Movement Day),' we introduce a column written by independence activist Ahn Jung-geun in March 1908 for the Korean newspaper 'Haejo Newspaper (海朝新聞)' in Vladivostok, Russia. Ahn pointed out that Korea was facing a national crisis due to a lack of national unity and emphasized the need for solidarity to restore national sovereignty. The article titled 'Let Us Unite Hearts to Restore National Sovereignty' was later translated into modern language by Nosan Lee Eun-sang. The text contains 1,044 characters.

Statue of Ahn Jung-geun in front of the Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul

It is because a person knows the Three Bonds and Five Relationships that humans are more precious than all things.

Therefore, when a person faces the world, first they cultivate their body, second they organize their household, and third they protect their country.

Thus, a person protects life by harmonizing body and mind, a household is maintained by parents and family, and a country is preserved through the unity of its people. It is sorrowful that our country has fallen into such a miserable state today, and the main reason is nothing other than the failure to unite with one another.

The root cause of this discord is the disease of arrogance. Many evils arise from arrogance; those who are arrogant envy those better than themselves, despise those weaker, quarrel with equals, and strive not to be subordinate. How then can unity be achieved?

However, the remedy for arrogance is humility.

If each person embraces humility, lowers themselves, respects others, accepts reproach graciously, is generous when reproaching others, and yields credit to others, then since humans are not beasts, how could there be discord among them?

Long ago, when a king of a certain country was dying, he called his children and warned them, saying, "If after my death you cannot unite your hearts as brothers, you will easily be broken by others. But if you unite your hearts, how could others break you?"

Now, looking upon our homeland’s mountains and rivers, I cannot bear to hear of our compatriots dying unjustly and even the bones of our innocent ancestors being desecrated.

Awake, compatriots residing in Yeonhaeju (Primorsky)! Have you not heard this news from the motherland? Are not all your relatives on Korean soil, and are not your ancestors’ graves in the motherland’s mountains and rivers? When the roots dry up, the branches and leaves wither. Since the kin of the same bloodline of our ancestors have already been humiliated, what will become of my body in the future?

Our compatriots! Let each break the two characters for "discord" and firmly uphold the two characters for "unity," educate your children, and let the young men resolve to die and swiftly restore our national sovereignty. Then, raising the Taegeukgi high, gather with your families and loved ones at the Independence Hall, united in one mind and body, and vow to shout "Long live Korean independence" so that the six continents will tremble.