Handwritten Note from Lushun Prison, China in 1910
Discovered in Japan in 2000, Returned to Korea Last Year
"After a long sigh, I offer my condolences to Japan in advance."
An Jung-geun's handwritten note, "A Long Sigh, Condolences to Japan in Advance" (長歎一聲 先弔日本), which he left before his execution, has been publicly revealed in South Korea for the first time, 25 years after its discovery and one year after its return. Written by An Jung-geun in 1910 at Lushun Prison in China, this piece is now being presented to visitors through the special exhibition "An Jung-geun, Patriot of the East: Unification is Independence" at the Gyeonggi Provincial Museum.
This is a handwritten note by An Jung-geun written in 1910 at Lushun Prison in China, and it is the first time it has been publicly revealed in South Korea in 115 years. Provided by Gyeonggi Provincial Museum
The calligraphy, written on silk fabric, measures 135.5 cm in height and 41.5 cm in width. It is known that An Jung-geun handed it to a high-ranking official of the Japanese Kwantung Governor-General’s Office, which oversaw Lushun Prison at the time. On the lower left, there is a phrase in Chinese characters that reads, "Written in March 1910 by An Jung-geun, a Korean patriot of the East, from Lushun Prison."
This handwritten note was first discovered in Japan in 2000 by Kim Kwangman, then a KBS documentary producer and currently the director of the Yun Bonggil Memorial Center. The owner was from the family of a high-ranking official of the Manchurian Kwantung Governor-General’s Office who had overseen An’s trial, and it is known that the family had kept the existence of the note hidden for a long time due to the social climate in Japan.
Later, a private Korean investigation team reconfirmed its existence, and after Gyeonggi Province joined the repatriation negotiations, the note finally returned to South Korea this past August. The Gyeonggi branch of the Liberation Association purchased it for 2.4 billion won in private capital subsidies from Gyeonggi Province, and it is currently entrusted to the Gyeonggi Provincial Museum for safekeeping.
Controversy over its authenticity has also been settled with this public release. At the "An Jung-geun Unification and Peace Forum," held alongside the exhibition's opening, Lee Heeil, President of the International Institute of Forensic Science, stated, "A comprehensive analysis of handwriting habits, pen pressure, and the way strokes are connected indicates it is indeed his autograph," adding, "The decisive evidence is the palm stamp of his left hand, which shows the mark of his severed ring finger."
Lee Dongguk, Director of the Gyeonggi Provincial Museum, said, "This handwritten note contains a condolence message meaning 'the Japanese Empire will fall,' and it is the only work in which An Jung-geun explicitly refers to himself as a 'patriot of the East,' making it of great historical value. It is a symbolic artifact that encapsulates An’s philosophy of peace in East Asia."
The exhibition goes beyond simply displaying the handwritten note, offering a multidimensional look at An Jung-geun’s philosophy and the trajectory of his independence movement. It is organized into three themes: "The Philosophy of Independence Against Imperialism," "The Dream of East Asian Peace," and "Condolence, Liberation, and Division," retracing his convictions within the context of his era. Artifacts reflecting the spirit of modern and contemporary Korean history, such as Empress Myeongseong’s "Jade Bones and Ice Heart," Han Yongun’s "Letter for Korean Independence," and Kim Koo’s "Hongik Ingan," are also on display.
The special exhibition will run at the Gyeonggi Provincial Museum until April 5 next year.
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