Yu In-seok (柳麟錫, January 25, 1842 – January 29, 1915) was a Neo-Confucian scholar, philosopher, and righteous army leader of the late Joseon period and the Korean Empire. His family seat was Gohung (高興). His courtesy name was Yeoseong (汝聖), and his pen name was Uiam (毅庵). He was from Chuncheon, Gang
Born~Died 1842 ~ 1915Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 2:51 PM
Yu In-seok (柳麟錫, January 25, 1842 – January 29, 1915) was a Neo-Confucian scholar, philosopher, and righteous army leader of the late Joseon period and the Korean Empire. His family seat was Gohung (高興). His courtesy name was Yeoseong (汝聖), and his pen name was Uiam (毅庵). He was from Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. He was a disciple of Hwaseo Yi Hang-no (華西 李恒老), Jungam Kim Pyeong-muk (重菴 金平默), and Seongjae Yu Jung-gyo (省齋 柳重敎). In 1864 he threw himself into righteous army activities, from 1895 he carried out nationwide righteous army campaigns, and after 1897 he moved between overseas bases and pursued operations to advance into Korea. In factional terms he was a member of the Noron faction.
Overview
He studied Neo-Confucianism under Yi Hang-no, and after Yi's death he studied under Yu Jung-gyo and Kim Pyeong-muk, Yi's senior disciples, and was recognized as the leader of the Hwaseo school. In 1864 (2nd year of King Gojong), he defined the Seowon closures carried out by Heungseon Daewongun as a great crisis and calamity, and he devoted himself to the Movement to Defend Orthodoxy and Reject Heterodoxy. When the Treaty of Ganghwa Island (Byeongja Suho Joyak, 丙子修好條約) was concluded in 1876, he submitted, together with his disciples and Confucian scholars, a joint petition opposing it. Afterwards he devoted himself to scholarly research and the training of students. Then, prompted by the Gabo Reforms of 1894, the Eulmi Incident of 1895, and the Eulmi Reforms, he raised the banner of Boksu Bohyeong (復讐保形, avenging the enemy of Empress Myeongseong and keeping the original righteousness) in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, together with disciples such as An Seung-u, Yi Pil-hui, Seo Sang-ryeol, and Yi Chun-yeong, and on December 24, 1895, he pushed forward nationwide righteous army activities.
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After the Order to Cut Topknots, he carried out righteous army activities; in Chungju and Jecheon he defeated government troops and killed corrupt officials, but he was heavily defeated by the government forces of Seon-yusa Jang Gi-ryeom (張基簾) and withdrew to Danyang. Afterwards he moved between Manchuria and Liaodong to pursue righteous army operations, and he called on the whole country to join and encourage the righteous armies. Beyond taking part in the righteous armies himself, he appealed to the whole nation that, if they could not join the armed struggle, they should denounce Japan through writing and speech.
At the command of King Gojong he returned home briefly, but in 1898 he again fled to Manchuria. In July 1900 he returned briefly to avoid the Boxer Rebellion, and while touring various areas of the northwest he gathered young men and expounded an anti-Japanese consciousness based on the theory of honoring China and rejecting the barbarians, and the restoration of national sovereignty, producing righteous army leaders such as Yi Jin-ryong and Baek Sam-gyu. In 1908 (2nd year of Yunghui), he again fled to the Maritime Province, where he kept in contact with Yi Sang-seol, Choi Jae-hyeong, and others, and pursued operations to advance into Korea, which failed. In Vladivostok he was elected Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Thirteen Provinces (十三道義軍都總裁), and he attempted to advance across the Tumen River, but was arrested by Russian soldiers. Even after the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty of October 2, 1910, he continued to pursue the restoration of national sovereignty, and he died of illness in Fengtian, Manchuria. He also opposed Western-style equality and liberty, defining Western-style equality and liberty as disorder and warning that they would cause confusion and conflict.
Birth and early life
He was born on January 25, 1842 (8th year of King Heonjong) in Gajeong-ri (柯亭里), Namyeon, Chunseong County, Gangwon Province, as the second of three sons and two daughters of Yu Jung-gon (柳重坤) and a woman of the Goryeong Shin clan (高靈 申氏). According to one account, his birthday was January 27.
In his 14th year he was adopted as the son of his paternal relative Yu Jung-seon (柳重善). Afterwards he spent his adolescence in the relatively solid lineage of his adoptive family. His adoptive great-grandfather Yu Yeong-o (柳榮五) had long been acquainted with Hwaseo Yi Hang-no (華西 李恒老), a great Neo-Confucian scholar of the Noron school during the reign of King Gojong who lived in seclusion in Jeonggang (潛江), and in the same year that he was adopted by Yu Jung-seon, he entered Yi Hang-no's school to study Neo-Confucianism. He became a member of the Noron faction.
Yi Hang-no, who was famous as a leading Confucian scholar of his day, was regarded as the orthodox leader and ideological founder of the Noron line, inheriting the scholarly lineage of Woam Song Si-yeol (尤庵 宋時烈), and fully inheriting the lines of Song Si-yeol–Kwon Sang-ha and of Han Won-jin and Yi Gan, disciples of Kwon Sang-ha. Around Yi Hang-no the Hwaseo school was formed. It was there that he came to know and associate with Myeonam Choe Ik-hyeon. These two became lifelong friends and ideological comrades.
Years as a Confucian scholar
In 1865 (2nd year of King Gojong), Heungseon Daewongun had the Manidong Shrine at Hwayang-dong demolished, and he defined this as a great calamity. Right after the French campaign of 1866, when Heungseon Daewongun summoned representatives of various classes, Yi Hang-no, his teacher, was designated and summoned as the representative of the Noron Confucian scholars. He went to Hanseong together with several fellow disciples, following his teacher Yi Hang-no who was heading to Hanseong, and he stayed in Hanseong for about a month, where he became acquainted with the state of affairs and public opinion. He defined the French campaign of 1866 as a national crisis as well. In 1876 (13th year of King Gojong), under pressure from Japan, the Treaty of Ganghwa Island (Byeongja Suho Joyak, 丙子修好條約), which opened the country to foreign powers, was concluded. Immediately he, together with 46 Confucian scholars from Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province, including Hong Jae-gu, submitted a joint petition opposing Western powers (伏閤儒生斥洋疏, abbreviated as Cheokyangso), but it was ignored by the court. He led his disciples in submitting petitions and carrying out an opposition movement.
He was a leading disciple of Hwaseo Yi Hang-no, the great Confucian scholar of the late Joseon Hwaseo school, and he produced many students as a scholar inheriting that lineage. After Hwaseo Yi Hang-no died, he studied under Jungam Kim Pyeong-muk, another disciple of Yi, and also under Seongjae Yu Jung-gyo (省齋 柳重敎, 1821–1893), his adoptive family's seventh-degree paternal cousin, and thoroughly learned the ideology of revering the king and expelling the barbarians based on the Great Principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals.
Training of students and building of a base
When Seongjae Yu Jung-gyo, his seventh-degree paternal cousin, lectured on Neo-Confucianism and trained students in 1888 (25th year of King Gojong), he died in 1893 (30th year of King Gojong). Leaving his home village of Gajeong-ri in Chunseong County, he moved with his disciples and followers to Jangdam in Jecheon (長潭: Bongyang-myeon, Gongjeon-ri, Jewon County, North Chungcheong Province) to carry on the legacy of Yu Jung-gyo. Afterwards he devoted himself to training students and to righteous army activities. With the deaths of Kim Pyeong-muk in 1891 and Yu Jung-gyo in 1893, he inherited Yi Hang-no, Kim Pyeong-muk, and Yu Jung-gyo alike, was recognized as the orthodox lineage of the Hwaseo school, and rose to prominence as a figure who could represent the school.
Yu Jung-gyo, his paternal cousin on his adoptive side, moved from Chuncheon to Jangdam in Jecheon in 1888 and trained disciples and followers, but after he died in 1893, Yu In-seok came in order to absorb the foundation that his cousin and teacher had built. Confucian scholars continued to visit after his arrival, and he later used Jangdam in Jecheon as his base for the righteous army resistance.
Righteous army activities
Declaration of righteous army activities
At that time, Yi Hang-no's school included outstanding figures such as Geumcheon Im Gyu-jik (錦川 任圭直), Danggu Yi In-gu (丹邱 李寅龜), Goewon Yi Jun (槐園 李埈; Yi Hang-no's eldest son), Jungam Kim Pyeong-muk (重菴 金平默), and Seongjae Yu Jung-gyo (省齋 柳重敎). Yu In-seok studied under Yi Hang-no, and after Yi died he continued his scholarly research with Kim Pyeong-muk and Yu In-seok as his teachers. Later, Yi Gang-nyeon and others came to study under Yu In-seok. At this time Uiam set up his base in Jecheon and carried out anti-Japanese righteous army resistance.
In 1894 (31st year of King Gojong), when the Kim Hong-jip cabinet was formed and the Gabo Reforms (甲午更張) were carried out, he raised a righteous army and carried out vigorous anti-Japanese righteous army activities in Chungju, Eumseong, Jecheon, Danyang, and other places. On November 17, 1895 (32nd year of King Gojong), the Kim Hong-jip cabinet announced a change of the calendar system from the lunar calendar to the solar calendar, and at the same time issued the Order to Cut Topknots, ordering adult men to cut off their topknots.
The righteous army resistance originated in the large-scale lecture ceremony (講習禮) and village drinking ceremony (鄕飮禮1) that he held in Jangdam on May 2 and 3 of the lunar year 1895 (32nd year of King Gojong), gathering several hundred fellow disciples and friends from near and far to discuss measures for responding to this "calamity" immediately after the Order for Changing Clothing (Order to Cut Topknots). Although the scale varied, these events were held regularly at intervals of about ten days until just before the uprising of the 11th month. These were preparatory stages for the righteous army resistance, and the people who attended them played key roles in the later uprising. At the village drinking and lecture ceremonies held then, Yu In-seok presented three courses of action, the so-called Three Affairs for Dealing with Crisis (處變三事), for responding properly to what he called "a great change unprecedented in ten thousand ages" (萬古所無之大變):
Raise an army and sweep clean (擧義掃淸): a plan to raise a righteous army and eliminate the Japanese invaders
Leave and keep the old (去之守舊): a plan to flee abroad and keep the great righteousness
Keep oneself pure and give up one's life (自靖致命): a plan to preserve righteousness and die for it
The reason he chose not to adopt the active courses of action of uprising or self-purification, but resolved to leave and keep his principles, is thought to be that he was then in mourning for his adoptive mother, Lady Yi of Deoksu (德水 李氏), which imposed certain restrictions on his conduct. (→ Hojwa Righteous Army Formation (湖左義兵陳))
Founding of the Hojwa righteous army
On January 12, 1896, his disciples Yi Chun-yeong (槐隱 李春永) of Yangpyeong County and An Seung-u, among others, joined the Pogun (militia) of Kim Baek-seon. Centered on the Pogun of Kim Baek-seon in Jipyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, they declared an uprising in Jipyeong County, called it the Hojwa Uprising (湖左倡義), and advanced to Jecheon in North Chungcheong Province, where they captured the government office and drove out the magistrate Kim Ik-jin. Soon afterwards, small righteous armies led by Seo Sang-ryeol, Yi Pil-hui, Yi Beom-jik, and Sin Ji-su joined them in Jecheon. They made Yi Pil-hui, a descendant of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, the commander of the righteous army, and appointed Seo Sang-ryeol as military staff officer (軍師), and they reorganized their ranks.
On January 22 of that year, the Hojwa righteous army that had gone to Danyang clashed with a combined unit of Joseon government troops from the Gongju military supply corps and Japanese troops. However, when the combined government and Japanese forces received reinforcements, the Seo Sang-ryeol unit and the Yi Chun-yeong unit crossed Jukryeong and entered Punggi, while An Seung-u withdrew to Yeongdong. Upon hearing this news, Yu In-seok secretly sent messengers to the Hojwa righteous army, which was facing disbandment, ordering them all to gather in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. Yi Chun-yeong, Yi Pil-hui, Seo Sang-ryeol, An Seung-u, and others who gathered in Yeongwol, after discussion, begged Yu In-seok to become their righteous army leader. After several rounds of hesitation, he accepted the post of commander of the Hojwa righteous army.
Assumption of command of the Hojwa righteous army and opposition to opening the country
Taking up the post of righteous army commander, he, together with disciples and friends such as An Seung-u, Yi Pil-hui, and Seo Sang-ryeol, in Chuncheon in Gangwon Province, under the banner of Boksu Bohyeong (復讐保形, avenging the enemy of Empress Myeongseong and keeping the original righteousness), declared a nationwide righteous army campaign on December 24, 1895, and issued the proclamation "Gyeokgo Paldo Yeoleup" (檄告八道列邑, a call to the eight provinces and their districts). Afterwards, Yi Gang-nyeon of Gaeeun in Mungyeong County also joined. The Hojwa righteous army initially consisted of more than 400 Jipyeong righteous army men recruited by An Seung-u, Yi Pil-hui, and Yi Chun-yeong, and small local righteous armies connected through the lineage of Hwaseo Yi Hang-no were linked to it. With his participation in the Hojwa righteous army, independent righteous armies from various regions and the connections of the Hwaseo school joined the righteous armies.
As a righteous army commander, Uiam immediately carried out anti-Japanese righteous army battles, and immediately after issuing the proclamation he returned to Jecheon and prepared at once to attack Chungju Fortress. He defined Gwon Suk (權潚), the magistrate of Danyang, and Seo Sang-gi (徐相耆), the magistrate of Cheongpung, both officials known as pro-Japanese progressives after the Order to Cut Topknots, as so-called collaborators with the Japanese (土倭), arrested them and beheaded them, and sounded a warning to officials who carried out pro-Japanese progressive policies. The military camp of Yu In-seok, with a force of more than 3,000, defeated government troops in Jecheon, Chungju, Wonju, and Danyang and formed power over the surrounding region. Upon hearing that the Chungju provincial office was gathering 400 Joseon government troops, several hundred Japanese troops, and 400 local troops, he pursued an attack on Chungju Fortress and, on February 16, 1896, unexpectedly took Chungju Fortress with ease.
Failure to attack the Chungju provincial office and fall of Jecheon Fortress
Next, he tried to attack the Chungju provincial office where the governor was located. Chungju was a region of great significance because it was a military stronghold where 400 government troops, several hundred Japanese troops, and 400 local troops were gathered. On the 16th day of the 2nd lunar month of the 33rd year of King Gojong (1896), the Hojwa righteous army attacked the Chungju provincial office and unexpectedly captured it with ease. This was because Woo Gi-jeong (禹冀正), a secretary (承旨) of the Seungjeongwon, had sent 3,000 reinforcements, and Yi Ho-seung (李鎬承), leading 500 men, aided the righteous army, so that in terms of troop numbers they were superior to the government and Japanese forces. In reality, however, only about 400 righteous army men had firearms, so in terms of firepower the righteous army was absolutely inferior to the government and Japanese forces armed with modern weapons; nonetheless, the entire righteous army carried out a surprise attack prepared to die and took Chungju Fortress.
At that time, after he arrested the pro-Japanese governorKim Gyu-sik (金奎軾) and entered Chungju Fortress, he stripped the governorKim Gyu-sik of rank and executed him, and at the same time issued the proclamation 〈Gyeokgo Naeoe Baekgwan (檄告內外百官)〉, urging officials who supported the pro-Japanese progressive policies to reflect on their conduct. Immediately, to recruit additional troops, he sent Seo Sang-ryeol, Won Yong-jeong, and Hong Seon-pyo to Gyeongsang Province and Yi Beom-jik to Chungcheong Province to gather local militias in each area. Seo Sang-ryeol gathered righteous army units scattered across Andong, Yecheon, Bonghwa, Sunheung, Punggi, Yeongcheon, and other places, and attacked the Japanese military supply base stationed in Sangju County. Yi Beom-jik, just before touring Chungcheong Province, went to Cheonan County and shot dead the magistrate Kim Byeong-suk, who had greatly angered the people by forcing hair-cutting severely.
After the Chungju Fortress was taken, the fleeing government and Japanese troops surrounded the outer walls of the fortress and carried out a siege, and they identified the supply routes of the righteous army and cut them off. The Hojwa righteous army, cut off from supplies and with its strength depleted, had great difficulty obtaining materials and could no longer hold Chungju Fortress, so about twenty days later, on the 4th day of the 3rd lunar month, it withdrew to Jecheon, according to accounts. Afterwards, it was defeated by the government forces led by Seon-yusa Jang Gi-ryeom (張基簾), lost its troops, and retreated to Danyang.
When news spread that the Hojwa righteous army he led was gathered in Jecheon, righteous armies that had been active in various places converged on Jecheon. Righteous army leaders such as Yi Gang-nyeon of Mungyeong, Gwon Ho-seon of Yeongchun, Han Dong-jik of Wonju, and Yi Myeong-no of Hoengseong each led small righteous army units and joined the Hojwa righteous army he led. He appointed Yi Gang-nyeon as guerrilla commander (遊擊將). He led the Hojwa righteous army and, using Jecheon Fortress as a base, for about three months attacked Subanbo, Gahueng, Danyang, Eumseong, and other places, and won victories in engagements with Japanese and government troops.
The Cabinet withdrew the Order to Cut Topknots and, at the same time, sent Seonyu Commissioners (宣諭委員) to each province to disband the righteous armies. After the government troops defeated the righteous army stationed in Namhansanseong, they pressed on his Hojwa righteous army by riding the momentum. The Order to Cut Topknots was withdrawn, and Kim Hong-jip and others were blamed for the Eulmi Incident; with the pro-Japanese faction purged, the cause had nearly lost its justification, and he was advised to disband the righteous army. He replied, however, that unless the court stopped its ruinous progressive policies, the righteous army resistance would continue, and fighting continued. Until May 26, the government troops launched large-scale offensives against the Hojwa righteous army. Repeatedly defeated by the government forces led by Seon-yusa Jang Gi-ryeom, he lost Jecheon Fortress on May 26. As his strength rapidly declined, he sent part of his troops home, and with those who resolved to stay with him to the end, he decided to form an alliance with Qing troops.
Exile, recall, and second exile
He considered that the righteous army, armed with matchlock guns and the like, could not fight the Japanese troops and Joseon government troops armed with modern rifles and hand grenades, and he devised a new strategy. After losing a large force at Jecheon, he led his troops to retreat to Danyang County and regrouped. Soon, expecting military assistance from Qing China, he resolved to head northwest, gathered his troops again, and led them to North Pyongan Province. After leaving Danyang in North Chungcheong, the Hojwa righteous army moved from place to place through Punggi, Yeongchun, Chungju, Eumseong, Goesan, and Wonju, fighting small battles with government and Japanese troops from time to time, and on June 10 at Gangcheon (康川) in Wonju they finally decided to head northwest. They passed through Wol, Jeongseon, Pyeongchang, Gangneung, and Daehwa, and moved on to Yanggu, Hoeyang, Pyeonggang, Sogeumgang, Anbyeon, and Yeonghung. During the march, Seo Sang-ryeol, who had been the sotojang (小土將), was killed in action.
Leading the righteous army into South Pyongan Province, they were stationed in the areas of Yangdeok County, Maengsan County, and Deokcheon County. However, the regional governor and county magistrates pressed the righteous army, and since they could no longer keep troops stationed there, it became impossible to pursue the renewed resistance as originally planned. Expecting military assistance from Qing China, and if that failed, pursuing the gathering of troops in an unknown place that Japan did not know about, he led the righteous army northward, passed through Yeongbyeon and Unsan, and on August 23 reached Chosan on the banks of the Yalu River. He issued the Jaegyeok Baekgwanmun (再檄百官文), calling for officials and intellectuals to awaken, and afterwards crossed the Yalu River again and went to Huairen County (懷仁縣) in western Jiandao; there, however, the magistrate of Huairen County, Seo Bon-u, had them disarmed, and on September 28 of the same year he disbanded the righteous army at the Hun River (渾江).
The magistrate of Huairen County, Seo Bon-u, demanded that the righteous army surrender their weapons, declaring that it was illegal for the righteous army to enter the country carrying weapons. Yi Beom-jik and others, sent ahead to Beijing to request Qing assistance, were stripped of their weapons by Qing soldiers and killed together with 20 of their subordinates. On September 28, at the banks of the Hun River (琿江, Honggang), he first disbanded the 219 righteous army men who had followed him until then and let them return to their hometowns. Although he allowed them to go home, part of the force followed him to the end and then moved to Liaodong. Yu In-seok crossed over to Tonghua County (通化縣), where many people of Joseon origin lived, settled in Odogu, gathered weapons and men, and planned a comeback. At this time, among the Hwaseo school's followers, a considerable number of his disciples and friends searched for a suitable place for training righteous army men and military drill, known as Sueuicheo (守義處), and moved en masse to western Jiandao. When Yu In-seok met those who had fled to western Jiandao, he said, "We can only bear the pain and nurse our grievances, waiting for the time to come (忍痛含寃 迫不得已)," and planned for the renewed mobilization of the righteous army.
In March 1898 (2nd year of Gwangmu), King Gojong recalled him, and upon receiving the royal summons he returned home immediately; in 1899 he again crossed over to Liaodong and devoted himself to lecturing on Neo-Confucianism, writing, and research. In early 1900, while he was active in China, Japanese troops secretly sent men who set fire to the house where he was staying and attempted to assassinate him. According to the testimony of his great-grandson, "Japanese troops set fire to Uiam's thatched house and committed the atrocity of shooting dead the men who rushed out to escape the fire, annihilating them," and "my grandfather (Yu Hae-dong), who at that time had unbound his topknot, was spared by the Japanese troops, who mistook him for a woman because his hair was long.2" At this time he miraculously survived.
In July 1900 he returned home again to avoid the Boxer Rebellion. Afterwards, moving between various parts of the northwest, including Pyeongsan in Hwanghae Province and Taecheon, Gaecheon, and Yongcheon in Pyeongan Province, he taught young men writing and Neo-Confucianism and trained disciples. He expounded anti-Japanese consciousness based on the theory of honoring China and rejecting the barbarians, and the restoration of independent national sovereignty, and at this time, Baek Sam-gyu, Yi Jin-ryong, and other disciples he produced from his school became righteous army leaders. At this time he lectured and taught writing and learning at Sanduje (山斗齋) in Pyeongsan County, Hwanghae Province, Sunghwaje (崇華齋) in Gaecheon County, Heungdo Seosa (興道書社) in Eunyul County, and OkSanjae (玉山齋) in Yongcheon County, South Pyongan Province; while using these places as bases, he repeatedly and tirelessly traveled between Cheolsan, Anju, Seoncheon, Pyeongyang, Yonggang, and Haeju in Hwanghae Province, training disciples, and he went directly to large towns to hold village drinking and lecture ceremonies from time to time and teach their methods, thereby stirring up the consciousness of the Great Principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals and of revering the king and expelling the barbarians.
In 1902 (6th year of Gwangmu), his disciples remaining in Korea collected his writings and published the 《Soui Sinpyeon (昭義新編)》.
Later Life
Exile and Righteous Army Activities
In August 1904, he wrote Chilsil Bundam. That same month, he declared the "Baeseong Iljeon" (Final Struggle) and proclaimed that it was proper to leave the country for distant foreign lands and carry out a "Geoguk Suui" (righteous departure from the nation). He also traveled through Hwanghae Province, Pyongan Province, Chungcheong Province, and other regions with the aim of resisting or enlightening people against the Iljinhoe. He gathered young men in county towns, organized hyangyak (village compacts), and actively encouraged people to return to their own villages and implement the hyangyak.
In November 1905 (the 9th year of Gwangmu), when the Eulsa Treaty was concluded, he called across the country for participation in the righteous army and appealed to educated people nationwide to resist, even if only through speech and writing. He urged that those who could not join the righteous army should, each in their own position, denounce Japan through protest and written statements.
After the Jeongmi Seven-Article Treaty was concluded, he judged that he could no longer continue activities inside the country and resolved to go into exile in the Primorsky Krai. In July 1908 (the 2nd year of Yunghui), he boarded a ship at Busan and crossed to Vladivostok in Russian-controlled Primorsky Krai.
A sick body, yet the racing ship carries me a thousand li, light as ever.
What is the lifespan of the nation now? Heaven's will urges me onward on this path.
Winds and clouds change at every moment, and only the sun and moon shine brightly alone.
The idle sounds around me, and my heart alone grows distant and vast.
Afterward, he interacted and corresponded from time to time with Choi Jae-hyeong, Yi Sang-seol, Ahn Jung-geun, Yi Beom-yun, and others, planning to establish a righteous army base, but the distances between their areas of activity and shortages of funds and manpower made this difficult. Together with Yi Sang-seol, Yi Beom-yun, and others, he continued to maintain steady contact and worked persistently to unify the anti-Japanese Korean forces scattered throughout Manchuria, and he also encouraged the recruitment of new righteous army members. In June 1910 (the 4th year of Yunghui), in Primorsky Krai, he organized the 13 Provinces Righteous Army (十三道義軍), aimed at unifying domestic and overseas righteous armies under a single command structure.
Organization of the 13 Provinces Righteous Army and Exile Righteous Army Activities
In June 1909 (the 3rd year of Yunghui), the Great Korean 13 Provinces Righteous Army, a unified body of righteous army forces in Primorsky Krai, was formed in Vladivostok, Russia, and he was elected Chief Commander (大韓十三道義軍都總裁) by Yi Sang-seol, Yi Beom-yun, Yi Nam-gi, and others. Immediately, he issued a proclamation titled "Tonggo Sipsam-do Daesodongpo" (Notice to All Compatriots of the Thirteen Provinces), declaring that all ten thousand people should unite as one and wage a war of national salvation against Japan until the last person. He then declared the raising of an army and led his forces to attempt an invasion across the Tumen River, but failed. He was arrested by Russian authorities at the Joseon-Russia border region but was later released.
On 2 October 1910 (the 4th year of Yunghui), when news of the conclusion of the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty arrived, some Korean intellectuals residing in the Vladivostok area and nearby areas of Primorsky Krai gathered at the Hanmin School in Sinhanchon (新韓村), held a Korean assembly, and organized the Seongmyeonghoe. The name of the organization, Seongmyeonghoe, meant "to denounce the crimes of the enemy and clarify our grievances" (聲彼之罪 明我之寃). The Seongmyeonghoe invited Yu In-seok, who was then staying in Vladivostok, and elected him as its general representative (總代表). On the same day, they issued the Seongmyeonghoe's statement of purpose and resolved to fight against the Japanese until the day of national liberation. Thus, immediately after assuming the position of representative of the Seongmyeonghoe in October, he launched a signature campaign against the Japan-Korea annexation, requesting signatures from Korean compatriots and conscientious Chinese and Russian intellectuals, with a plan to make this known to the international community. Subsequently, with the support of major independence activists and some foreign intellectuals scattered around China and Russia, he collected 8,624 signatures. The signature register was attached as a copy of the "Seongmyeonghoe Declaration," which proclaimed the Korean people's determination for independence and requested the support and assistance of the great powers. The declaration, together with the joint signatures of 8,624 people, was sent to governments and acquired newspapers in various countries, including the United States, Russia, and the Republic of China.
Even after the loss of national sovereignty of the Korean Empire, he continued the independence movement aimed at advancing into Korean territory, and together with Yi Sang-seol and others attempted to advance toward the banks of the Tumen River, but this was thwarted. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan strongly protested to Russia and also sent envoys to Russia to pursue diplomatic negotiations, repeatedly demanding the dissolution and expulsion of Korean anti-Japanese movements throughout the Primorsky Krai region. At Japan's repeated requests, anti-Japanese activists such as Yi Sang-seol, Yi Beom-yun, Yi Gyu-pung, and Kim Jwa-du, as well as Yu In-seok's disciples, were temporarily arrested and imprisoned, and after receiving notice from Russia of the dissolution of the 13 Provinces Righteous Army, the organization disintegrated.
Yu In-seok, aiming for future endeavors and on condition of their release, dissolved the 13 Provinces Righteous Army and insisted on "Suhwa Jongsin" (devotion to China until death). Accordingly, he himself left Primorsky Krai for Manchuria. In February 1913, on his way to Western Jiandao, he stayed briefly at Mokhwachon (木花村, known locally as Pshiet) in Vladivostok and wrote and published Ujoo Mundap (宇宙問答), which discussed the cultural and institutional systems of the East and West in a question-and-answer format from the perspective of the Sinocentric sino-barbarian worldview (中華論的 華夷觀). In March 1914, he moved to Xifeng County (西豊縣) in Fengtian Province (奉天省) and began living in exile in Western Jiandao. In May of that year, he moved to Nancheonja (暖泉子) in Heungkyeong County (興京縣), and later arrived at the Bangchwigu (芳翠溝) village in Gwanjeon County (寬甸縣), Fengtian Province.
His works include the collected writings Uiamjip (毅菴集), Soui Sinpyeon (昭義新編), Hwadong Sokgangmok (華東續綱目), Ujoo Mundap (宇宙問答), and the co-authored Changui Gyeonmunrok (倡義見聞錄), which he wrote before going into exile. The collection also includes his manifestos such as "Gyeokgo Paldo Yeoleup" (Manifesto Announcing to the Cities of the Eight Provinces), "Gyeokgo Naeoe Baekgwan" (Manifesto Announcing to All Officials Inside and Outside), and "Hwanguk Jicho Sanjin Jeongdae Joeso" (Memorial Petitioning for Punishment Upon Returning to the Country at Chosan), as well as Gwak Jong-seok's "Pogo Cheonha Mun" (Proclamation to All Under Heaven), Yun Seok-bong's "Sangho Jwauibyeong Jangseo" (Letter to General of the Righteous Army Ho-jwa), and the "Aetongjo" (Lament) of Joseon King Gojong. He died of illness on 29 January 1915 in Bangchwigu, Gwanjeon County, Fengtian Province, Manchuria.
Posthumous
His son Ryu Hae-dong (柳海東), who had followed him, served under the righteous army leader Park Jang-ho (朴長浩), assisted him, and participated in righteous army activities. In 1919, he took part in the organization of the Daehan Doklip-dan (大韓獨立團) formed in southern Manchuria and was appointed as its secretary-general (總裁秘書).
After liberation, his remains were transported back to the country and reinterred at Sanmyeon 91, Gajeong-ri, Nam-myeon, Chunseong County, Gangwon Province (now Sanmyeon 91, Gajeong-ri, Nam-myeon, Chuncheon). His grave and the area around his shrine were later designated as Gangwon Province Monument No. 74.
His teacher Yi Hang-ro (Hwaseo) developed the academic and ideological theory of Wijeong cheoksa (defense of orthodoxy and rejection of heterodoxy). In contrast, Yu In-seok practiced and carried out a practical form of this theory by actively resisting enlightenment and the opening of ports, and he pursued a nationwide righteous army movement. He criticized and did not kill those who refused to participate in righteous army activities, instead urging them to resist Japan and the opening of ports through speech and writing. He personally traveled through the major towns of the northwestern region, gathered young men to teach them writing, and transmitted the ideas of Chunchu Daeui (Great Righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Annals) and Jonwang Yangi (Revere the King, Expel the Barbarians).
Argument for Maintaining Social Order
Social conflict within the righteous army was the most powerful obstacle to its activities.4 He executed Kim Baek-seon, a commander under him, for allegedly treating the yangban An Seung-u disrespectfully.
In the course of his righteous army activities, he placed great importance on maintaining the social order. A representative example is his execution of the commoner commander Kim Baek-seon, who had achieved great merit in the Battle of Chungju Fortress, on the grounds that Kim had treated the yangban An Seung-u disrespectfully. During an attack on a Japanese military position, Kim Baek-seon was defeated when reinforcements did not arrive, and he vehemently protested to the Middle Army Commander An Seung-u for failing to send reinforcements. Yu In-seok, however, executed Kim Baek-seon and even his son, on the charge of disrupting military discipline.4
Opposition to the Doctrine of Equality and Opposition to Freedom
Yu In-seok argued that all human beings could not be equal. Rather, he argued that even while speaking of equality, people would somehow divide and distinguish between noble and base. There is high and low in heaven and earth, and there is large and small among all things. Among humans too there are distinctions between ruler and subject, father and child, husband and wife, elder and younger, superior and inferior, noble and base, and differences between sages and ordinary people, or between the wise and the foolish. How could they be equal?5
Equality is indeed disorder, and disorder is indeed chaos.5 Freedom is indeed the refusal to yield, and without yielding there is indeed strife.5 The reason the present world is chaotic and rife with conflict is none other than the ideas of equality and freedom. When someone advocates equality and freedom, minds of chaotic contention arise, and this leads to actions that cause chaotic strife. When the world turns toward equality and freedom, minds of chaotic contention arise, and this leads to actions that cause chaotic strife. If such currents do not stop, humanity will decline and disappear, and heaven and earth will inevitably collapse.5
He also opposed gender equality. When the argument for gender equality began to appear, he pointed out that people could turn into beasts. He wrote: "Today people allow men and women to be treated equally in every way; how can this be said to imitate the principles of heaven and earth? They do not imitate them greatly. One might even say they are less than beasts. Women speak of equality and freedom and learn; if their learning advances to the point where they are merely equal to their husbands, that would be fortunate, but they will easily raise themselves and surpass and suppress their husbands. If they merely become free, that would be fortunate, but they will easily make their husbands unfree in turn.5" He pointed out this as well. He further predicted: "They will do this to their husbands, and do the same to their parents and parents-in-law, until in the end there will be nothing they do not do. Moreover, children are educated by their mothers from an early age, and if the mother conducts herself in this way, her sons too will be ruined, and the ruin will reach even their grandchildren.5"
He defined equality and freedom as the root causes of disrupting order. He also viewed equality and freedom as an opportunity for thoughtless petty people to flourish. Equality and freedom are the most evil doctrines, unmatched under heaven for ten thousand ages, because they aim to make everyone unrestrained and to turn everyone into petty people.5 Could such things be implemented in China and Joseon?5 He foresaw that freedom and equality would instead turn people into petty people. He saw that "equality and freedom give rise to freedom that knows neither disorder nor yielding."6
Pointing Out Problems Hidden Behind Freedom
Regarding freedom and liberalism, he claimed that there is no retreat and no yielding, and he pointed out whether, behind freedom, there was a conflict with respect for others. He foresaw that "freedom is indeed the refusal to yield, and without yielding there is indeed strife."5
Opposition to Girls' Schools
Yu In-seok directly refuted the views of Seo Jae-pil, who advocated women's education within the Independence Club, and of Yun Chi-ho, who favored gradually promoting girls' schools. He argued that girls' schools were places that turned humans into beasts and could make them rude. He wrote: "What is called a girls' school cannot be said to be anything other than a place of people who do not imitate heaven and earth and are like beasts. Ah! I cannot bear to say it. Ah! How could Joseon, a country of special courtesy in China and the world, where countless sages governed and taught, do such a wretched and shameful thing?"5
He also wrote: "Today men and women should be equal and each free, and both boys and girls have schools, so men and women move together; this means heaven and earth have no high or low. Earth seems to accomplish things by itself, but in truth does nothing by itself in place of heaven; if earth does not obey heaven but walks alongside heaven, it becomes stronger than heaven. Only when earth obeys heaven is harmony achieved, but today heaven and earth move equally and harmony has disappeared.5"
He argued that girls' schools would ruin the nation. According to him: "When a clever husband builds a fortress, a clever wife tilts it. Has any nation or family ever fallen through other causes without going through the clever woman? Now women attend schools, abandon their pure dispositions, and delight in strange and licentious habits. Inwardly they destroy their chastity, and outwardly they eagerly desire outside affairs. They merely cultivate a shrewd attitude and learn only the skills of improvisation. Being unrestrained in their willfulness, their efforts to become clever women know no end.5"
In his own writings, he wrote: "When the hen crows, the household ruins; if the hen crows in a nation, how could there be good fortune? If the hen crows under heaven, how could there be anything good under heaven? Alas!"5 He lamented, "Where will a sage-hero or a great hero arise to tear down the present Western-style boys' and girls' schools, restore the ancient Way, and once again let people see the flourishing times of the Three Dynasties (Yao, Shun, and Yu reigns)?"5
Family Relations
Father: Ryu Jung-gon (柳重坤)
Mother: Shin clan of Goryeong
Siblings: 3 brothers and 2 sisters
Adoptive father: Ryu Jung-seon (柳重善)
Adoptive mother: ?
Himself
First wife: Yeoheung Min clan (?–1867)
Second wife: Gyeongju Jeong clan
Son: Ryu Hae-dong (柳海東, 1891.11.12 – 1981.2.25)
Son: Ryu Je-ham (柳濟咸, 1884.10.26 – 1964.5.13)
Cousin (first cousin once removed, elder): Ryu Hong-seok (柳弘錫, 1841–1913)
Ahn Jung-geun reported his plan to Yu In-seok just before the assassination of Itō Hirobumi. Yu In-seok did not disclose this to the outside and encouraged Ahn Jung-geun, saying that if it succeeded, Japan's wrongdoing could be made known to the world. He recorded this plan in memo form without disclosing it outside, and it was included in Uiam Yaksa, written by his son Ryu Hae-dong.
The house in Bangchwigu, Gwanjeon County, Manchuria (now Sogoryeong Jisoeok No. 1 Group, Yeou-gol, Boldawon Township, Gwanjeon County), which was his later residence and where he died, was dismantled, and in May 1994 the Gwanjeon Manchu Autonomous County Ethnic Affairs Committee Sajipan Office erected the Uiam Memorial Stele near the site of the house. The inscription reads: "Late Yi Dynasty, leading scholar of Joseon Confucianism, renowned righteous army general Yu In-seok, art name Uiam. He lived in seclusion here in his later years. He died of illness on 14 March 1915, aged 73. In the world, he practiced 'Suhwa Jongsin' (devotion to China until death). Erected by the Gwanjeon Manchu Autonomous County Ethnic Affairs Committee Sajipan Office, May 1994."
Footnotes
This article includes content based on the Global World Encyclopedia, distributed under the GFDL or CC-SA license by Daum Communications (now Kakao).
Hyangeum-rye refers to a kind of irregular gathering of Confucian scholars whose purpose was to lecture on and discuss ancient texts, centered on the classics. It seems the Gangseup-rye and Hyangeum-rye were distinguished depending on whether there was a discussion (gangsong). At the Gangseup-rye of Jangdam (長潭), the sequence of lecture and recitation proceeded as follows: Gangjang (講長), Binjang (賓長), Jungbin (衆賓), Jesaeng (諸生), Sarye (司禮), Dokhol (讀笏), Sagang (司講), and Sajeong (司正). ↩
Yu In-seok (柳麟錫, January 25, 1842 – January 29, 1915) was a Neo-Confucian scholar, philosopher, and righteous army leader of the late Joseon period and the Korean Empire. His family seat was Gohung (高興). His courtesy name was Yeoseong (汝聖), and his pen name was Uiam (毅庵). He was from Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. He was a disciple of Hwaseo Yi Hang-no (華西 李恒老), Jungam Kim Pyeong-muk (重菴 金平默), and Seongjae Yu Jung-gyo (省齋 柳重敎). In 1864 he threw himself into righteous army activities, from 1895 he carried out nationwide righteous army campaigns, and after 1897 he moved between overseas bases and pursued operations to advance into Korea. In factional terms he was a member of the Noron faction.
Overview
He studied Neo-Confucianism under Yi Hang-no, and after Yi's death he studied under Yu Jung-gyo and Kim Pyeong-muk, Yi's senior disciples, and was recognized as the leader of the Hwaseo school. In 1864 (2nd year of King Gojong), he defined the Seowon closures carried out by Heungseon Daewongun as a great crisis and calamity, and he devoted himself to the Movement to Defend Orthodoxy and Reject Heterodoxy. When the Treaty of Ganghwa Island (Byeongja Suho Joyak, 丙子修好條約) was concluded in 1876, he submitted, together with his disciples and Confucian scholars, a joint petition opposing it. Afterwards he devoted himself to scholarly research and the training of students. Then, prompted by the Gabo Reforms of 1894, the Eulmi Incident of 1895, and the Eulmi Reforms, he raised the banner of Boksu Bohyeong (復讐保形, avenging the enemy of Empress Myeongseong and keeping the original righteousness) in , , together with disciples such as An Seung-u, Yi Pil-hui, Seo Sang-ryeol, and Yi Chun-yeong, and on December 24, 1895, he pushed forward nationwide righteous army activities.
After the Order to Cut Topknots, he carried out righteous army activities; in Chungju and Jecheon he defeated government troops and killed corrupt officials, but he was heavily defeated by the government forces of Seon-yusa Jang Gi-ryeom (張基簾) and withdrew to Danyang. Afterwards he moved between Manchuria and Liaodong to pursue righteous army operations, and he called on the whole country to join and encourage the righteous armies. Beyond taking part in the righteous armies himself, he appealed to the whole nation that, if they could not join the armed struggle, they should denounce Japan through writing and speech.
At the command of King Gojong he returned home briefly, but in 1898 he again fled to Manchuria. In July 1900 he returned briefly to avoid the Boxer Rebellion, and while touring various areas of the northwest he gathered young men and expounded an anti-Japanese consciousness based on the theory of honoring China and rejecting the barbarians, and the restoration of national sovereignty, producing righteous army leaders such as Yi Jin-ryong and Baek Sam-gyu. In 1908 (2nd year of Yunghui), he again fled to the Maritime Province, where he kept in contact with Yi Sang-seol, Choi Jae-hyeong, and others, and pursued operations to advance into Korea, which failed. In Vladivostok he was elected Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Thirteen Provinces (十三道義軍都總裁), and he attempted to advance across the Tumen River, but was arrested by Russian soldiers. Even after the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty of October 2, 1910, he continued to pursue the restoration of national sovereignty, and he died of illness in Fengtian, Manchuria. He also opposed Western-style equality and liberty, defining Western-style equality and liberty as disorder and warning that they would cause confusion and conflict.
Birth and early life
He was born on January 25, 1842 (8th year of King Heonjong) in Gajeong-ri (柯亭里), Namyeon, Chunseong County, Gangwon Province, as the second of three sons and two daughters of Yu Jung-gon (柳重坤) and a woman of the Goryeong Shin clan (高靈 申氏). According to one account, his birthday was January 27.
In his 14th year he was adopted as the son of his paternal relative Yu Jung-seon (柳重善). Afterwards he spent his adolescence in the relatively solid lineage of his adoptive family. His adoptive great-grandfather Yu Yeong-o (柳榮五) had long been acquainted with Hwaseo Yi Hang-no (華西 李恒老), a great Neo-Confucian scholar of the Noron school during the reign of King Gojong who lived in seclusion in Jeonggang (潛江), and in the same year that he was adopted by Yu Jung-seon, he entered Yi Hang-no's school to study Neo-Confucianism. He became a member of the Noron faction.
Yi Hang-no, who was famous as a leading Confucian scholar of his day, was regarded as the orthodox leader and ideological founder of the Noron line, inheriting the scholarly lineage of Woam Song Si-yeol (尤庵 宋時烈), and fully inheriting the lines of Song Si-yeol–Kwon Sang-ha and of Han Won-jin and Yi Gan, disciples of Kwon Sang-ha. Around Yi Hang-no the Hwaseo school was formed. It was there that he came to know and associate with Myeonam Choe Ik-hyeon. These two became lifelong friends and ideological comrades.
Years as a Confucian scholar
In 1865 (2nd year of King Gojong), Heungseon Daewongun had the Manidong Shrine at Hwayang-dong demolished, and he defined this as a great calamity. Right after the French campaign of 1866, when Heungseon Daewongun summoned representatives of various classes, Yi Hang-no, his teacher, was designated and summoned as the representative of the Noron Confucian scholars. He went to Hanseong together with several fellow disciples, following his teacher Yi Hang-no who was heading to Hanseong, and he stayed in Hanseong for about a month, where he became acquainted with the state of affairs and public opinion. He defined the French campaign of 1866 as a national crisis as well. In 1876 (13th year of King Gojong), under pressure from Japan, the Treaty of Ganghwa Island (Byeongja Suho Joyak, 丙子修好條約), which opened the country to foreign powers, was concluded. Immediately he, together with 46 Confucian scholars from Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province, including Hong Jae-gu, submitted a joint petition opposing Western powers (伏閤儒生斥洋疏, abbreviated as Cheokyangso), but it was ignored by the court. He led his disciples in submitting petitions and carrying out an opposition movement.
He was a leading disciple of Hwaseo Yi Hang-no, the great Confucian scholar of the late Joseon Hwaseo school, and he produced many students as a scholar inheriting that lineage. After Hwaseo Yi Hang-no died, he studied under Jungam Kim Pyeong-muk, another disciple of Yi, and also under Seongjae Yu Jung-gyo (省齋 柳重敎, 1821–1893), his adoptive family's seventh-degree paternal cousin, and thoroughly learned the ideology of revering the king and expelling the barbarians based on the Great Principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals.
Training of students and building of a base
When Seongjae Yu Jung-gyo, his seventh-degree paternal cousin, lectured on Neo-Confucianism and trained students in 1888 (25th year of King Gojong), he died in 1893 (30th year of King Gojong). Leaving his home village of Gajeong-ri in Chunseong County, he moved with his disciples and followers to Jangdam in Jecheon (長潭: Bongyang-myeon, Gongjeon-ri, Jewon County, North Chungcheong Province) to carry on the legacy of Yu Jung-gyo. Afterwards he devoted himself to training students and to righteous army activities. With the deaths of Kim Pyeong-muk in 1891 and Yu Jung-gyo in 1893, he inherited Yi Hang-no, Kim Pyeong-muk, and Yu Jung-gyo alike, was recognized as the orthodox lineage of the Hwaseo school, and rose to prominence as a figure who could represent the school.
Yu Jung-gyo, his paternal cousin on his adoptive side, moved from Chuncheon to Jangdam in Jecheon in 1888 and trained disciples and followers, but after he died in 1893, Yu In-seok came in order to absorb the foundation that his cousin and teacher had built. Confucian scholars continued to visit after his arrival, and he later used Jangdam in Jecheon as his base for the righteous army resistance.
Righteous army activities
Declaration of righteous army activities
At that time, Yi Hang-no's school included outstanding figures such as Geumcheon Im Gyu-jik (錦川 任圭直), Danggu Yi In-gu (丹邱 李寅龜), Goewon Yi Jun (槐園 李埈; Yi Hang-no's eldest son), Jungam Kim Pyeong-muk (重菴 金平默), and Seongjae Yu Jung-gyo (省齋 柳重敎). Yu In-seok studied under Yi Hang-no, and after Yi died he continued his scholarly research with Kim Pyeong-muk and Yu In-seok as his teachers. Later, Yi Gang-nyeon and others came to study under Yu In-seok. At this time Uiam set up his base in Jecheon and carried out anti-Japanese righteous army resistance.
In 1894 (31st year of King Gojong), when the Kim Hong-jip cabinet was formed and the Gabo Reforms (甲午更張) were carried out, he raised a righteous army and carried out vigorous anti-Japanese righteous army activities in Chungju, Eumseong, Jecheon, Danyang, and other places. On November 17, 1895 (32nd year of King Gojong), the Kim Hong-jip cabinet announced a change of the calendar system from the lunar calendar to the solar calendar, and at the same time issued the Order to Cut Topknots, ordering adult men to cut off their topknots.
The righteous army resistance originated in the large-scale lecture ceremony (講習禮) and village drinking ceremony (鄕飮禮1) that he held in Jangdam on May 2 and 3 of the lunar year 1895 (32nd year of King Gojong), gathering several hundred fellow disciples and friends from near and far to discuss measures for responding to this "calamity" immediately after the Order for Changing Clothing (Order to Cut Topknots). Although the scale varied, these events were held regularly at intervals of about ten days until just before the uprising of the 11th month. These were preparatory stages for the righteous army resistance, and the people who attended them played key roles in the later uprising. At the village drinking and lecture ceremonies held then, Yu In-seok presented three courses of action, the so-called Three Affairs for Dealing with Crisis (處變三事), for responding properly to what he called "a great change unprecedented in ten thousand ages" (萬古所無之大變):
Raise an army and sweep clean (擧義掃淸): a plan to raise a righteous army and eliminate the Japanese invaders
Leave and keep the old (去之守舊): a plan to flee abroad and keep the great righteousness
Keep oneself pure and give up one's life (自靖致命): a plan to preserve righteousness and die for it
The reason he chose not to adopt the active courses of action of uprising or self-purification, but resolved to leave and keep his principles, is thought to be that he was then in mourning for his adoptive mother, Lady Yi of Deoksu (德水 李氏), which imposed certain restrictions on his conduct. (→ Hojwa Righteous Army Formation (湖左義兵陳))
Founding of the Hojwa righteous army
On January 12, 1896, his disciples Yi Chun-yeong (槐隱 李春永) of Yangpyeong County and An Seung-u, among others, joined the Pogun (militia) of Kim Baek-seon. Centered on the Pogun of Kim Baek-seon in Jipyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, they declared an uprising in Jipyeong County, called it the Hojwa Uprising (湖左倡義), and advanced to Jecheon in North Chungcheong Province, where they captured the government office and drove out the magistrate Kim Ik-jin. Soon afterwards, small righteous armies led by Seo Sang-ryeol, Yi Pil-hui, Yi Beom-jik, and Sin Ji-su joined them in Jecheon. They made Yi Pil-hui, a descendant of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, the commander of the righteous army, and appointed Seo Sang-ryeol as military staff officer (軍師), and they reorganized their ranks.
On January 22 of that year, the Hojwa righteous army that had gone to Danyang clashed with a combined unit of Joseon government troops from the Gongju military supply corps and Japanese troops. However, when the combined government and Japanese forces received reinforcements, the Seo Sang-ryeol unit and the Yi Chun-yeong unit crossed Jukryeong and entered Punggi, while An Seung-u withdrew to Yeongdong. Upon hearing this news, Yu In-seok secretly sent messengers to the Hojwa righteous army, which was facing disbandment, ordering them all to gather in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. Yi Chun-yeong, Yi Pil-hui, Seo Sang-ryeol, An Seung-u, and others who gathered in Yeongwol, after discussion, begged Yu In-seok to become their righteous army leader. After several rounds of hesitation, he accepted the post of commander of the Hojwa righteous army.
Assumption of command of the Hojwa righteous army and opposition to opening the country
Taking up the post of righteous army commander, he, together with disciples and friends such as An Seung-u, Yi Pil-hui, and Seo Sang-ryeol, in Chuncheon in Gangwon Province, under the banner of Boksu Bohyeong (復讐保形, avenging the enemy of Empress Myeongseong and keeping the original righteousness), declared a nationwide righteous army campaign on December 24, 1895, and issued the proclamation "Gyeokgo Paldo Yeoleup" (檄告八道列邑, a call to the eight provinces and their districts). Afterwards, Yi Gang-nyeon of Gaeeun in Mungyeong County also joined. The Hojwa righteous army initially consisted of more than 400 Jipyeong righteous army men recruited by An Seung-u, Yi Pil-hui, and Yi Chun-yeong, and small local righteous armies connected through the lineage of Hwaseo Yi Hang-no were linked to it. With his participation in the Hojwa righteous army, independent righteous armies from various regions and the connections of the Hwaseo school joined the righteous armies.
As a righteous army commander, Uiam immediately carried out anti-Japanese righteous army battles, and immediately after issuing the proclamation he returned to Jecheon and prepared at once to attack Chungju Fortress. He defined Gwon Suk (權潚), the magistrate of Danyang, and Seo Sang-gi (徐相耆), the magistrate of Cheongpung, both officials known as pro-Japanese progressives after the Order to Cut Topknots, as so-called collaborators with the Japanese (土倭), arrested them and beheaded them, and sounded a warning to officials who carried out pro-Japanese progressive policies. The military camp of Yu In-seok, with a force of more than 3,000, defeated government troops in Jecheon, Chungju, Wonju, and Danyang and formed power over the surrounding region. Upon hearing that the Chungju provincial office was gathering 400 Joseon government troops, several hundred Japanese troops, and 400 local troops, he pursued an attack on Chungju Fortress and, on February 16, 1896, unexpectedly took Chungju Fortress with ease.
Failure to attack the Chungju provincial office and fall of Jecheon Fortress
Next, he tried to attack the Chungju provincial office where the governor was located. Chungju was a region of great significance because it was a military stronghold where 400 government troops, several hundred Japanese troops, and 400 local troops were gathered. On the 16th day of the 2nd lunar month of the 33rd year of King Gojong (1896), the Hojwa righteous army attacked the Chungju provincial office and unexpectedly captured it with ease. This was because Woo Gi-jeong (禹冀正), a secretary (承旨) of the Seungjeongwon, had sent 3,000 reinforcements, and Yi Ho-seung (李鎬承), leading 500 men, aided the righteous army, so that in terms of troop numbers they were superior to the government and Japanese forces. In reality, however, only about 400 righteous army men had firearms, so in terms of firepower the righteous army was absolutely inferior to the government and Japanese forces armed with modern weapons; nonetheless, the entire righteous army carried out a surprise attack prepared to die and took Chungju Fortress.
At that time, after he arrested the pro-Japanese governorKim Gyu-sik (金奎軾) and entered Chungju Fortress, he stripped the governorKim Gyu-sik of rank and executed him, and at the same time issued the proclamation 〈Gyeokgo Naeoe Baekgwan (檄告內外百官)〉, urging officials who supported the pro-Japanese progressive policies to reflect on their conduct. Immediately, to recruit additional troops, he sent Seo Sang-ryeol, Won Yong-jeong, and Hong Seon-pyo to Gyeongsang Province and Yi Beom-jik to Chungcheong Province to gather local militias in each area. Seo Sang-ryeol gathered righteous army units scattered across Andong, Yecheon, Bonghwa, Sunheung, Punggi, Yeongcheon, and other places, and attacked the Japanese military supply base stationed in Sangju County. Yi Beom-jik, just before touring Chungcheong Province, went to Cheonan County and shot dead the magistrate Kim Byeong-suk, who had greatly angered the people by forcing hair-cutting severely.
After the Chungju Fortress was taken, the fleeing government and Japanese troops surrounded the outer walls of the fortress and carried out a siege, and they identified the supply routes of the righteous army and cut them off. The Hojwa righteous army, cut off from supplies and with its strength depleted, had great difficulty obtaining materials and could no longer hold Chungju Fortress, so about twenty days later, on the 4th day of the 3rd lunar month, it withdrew to Jecheon, according to accounts. Afterwards, it was defeated by the government forces led by Seon-yusa Jang Gi-ryeom (張基簾), lost its troops, and retreated to Danyang.
When news spread that the Hojwa righteous army he led was gathered in Jecheon, righteous armies that had been active in various places converged on Jecheon. Righteous army leaders such as Yi Gang-nyeon of Mungyeong, Gwon Ho-seon of Yeongchun, Han Dong-jik of Wonju, and Yi Myeong-no of Hoengseong each led small righteous army units and joined the Hojwa righteous army he led. He appointed Yi Gang-nyeon as guerrilla commander (遊擊將). He led the Hojwa righteous army and, using Jecheon Fortress as a base, for about three months attacked Subanbo, Gahueng, Danyang, Eumseong, and other places, and won victories in engagements with Japanese and government troops.
The Cabinet withdrew the Order to Cut Topknots and, at the same time, sent Seonyu Commissioners (宣諭委員) to each province to disband the righteous armies. After the government troops defeated the righteous army stationed in Namhansanseong, they pressed on his Hojwa righteous army by riding the momentum. The Order to Cut Topknots was withdrawn, and Kim Hong-jip and others were blamed for the Eulmi Incident; with the pro-Japanese faction purged, the cause had nearly lost its justification, and he was advised to disband the righteous army. He replied, however, that unless the court stopped its ruinous progressive policies, the righteous army resistance would continue, and fighting continued. Until May 26, the government troops launched large-scale offensives against the Hojwa righteous army. Repeatedly defeated by the government forces led by Seon-yusa Jang Gi-ryeom, he lost Jecheon Fortress on May 26. As his strength rapidly declined, he sent part of his troops home, and with those who resolved to stay with him to the end, he decided to form an alliance with Qing troops.
Exile, recall, and second exile
He considered that the righteous army, armed with matchlock guns and the like, could not fight the Japanese troops and Joseon government troops armed with modern rifles and hand grenades, and he devised a new strategy. After losing a large force at Jecheon, he led his troops to retreat to Danyang County and regrouped. Soon, expecting military assistance from Qing China, he resolved to head northwest, gathered his troops again, and led them to North Pyongan Province. After leaving Danyang in North Chungcheong, the Hojwa righteous army moved from place to place through Punggi, Yeongchun, Chungju, Eumseong, Goesan, and Wonju, fighting small battles with government and Japanese troops from time to time, and on June 10 at Gangcheon (康川) in Wonju they finally decided to head northwest. They passed through Wol, Jeongseon, Pyeongchang, Gangneung, and Daehwa, and moved on to Yanggu, Hoeyang, Pyeonggang, Sogeumgang, Anbyeon, and Yeonghung. During the march, Seo Sang-ryeol, who had been the sotojang (小土將), was killed in action.
Leading the righteous army into South Pyongan Province, they were stationed in the areas of Yangdeok County, Maengsan County, and Deokcheon County. However, the regional governor and county magistrates pressed the righteous army, and since they could no longer keep troops stationed there, it became impossible to pursue the renewed resistance as originally planned. Expecting military assistance from Qing China, and if that failed, pursuing the gathering of troops in an unknown place that Japan did not know about, he led the righteous army northward, passed through Yeongbyeon and Unsan, and on August 23 reached Chosan on the banks of the Yalu River. He issued the Jaegyeok Baekgwanmun (再檄百官文), calling for officials and intellectuals to awaken, and afterwards crossed the Yalu River again and went to Huairen County (懷仁縣) in western Jiandao; there, however, the magistrate of Huairen County, Seo Bon-u, had them disarmed, and on September 28 of the same year he disbanded the righteous army at the Hun River (渾江).
The magistrate of Huairen County, Seo Bon-u, demanded that the righteous army surrender their weapons, declaring that it was illegal for the righteous army to enter the country carrying weapons. Yi Beom-jik and others, sent ahead to Beijing to request Qing assistance, were stripped of their weapons by Qing soldiers and killed together with 20 of their subordinates. On September 28, at the banks of the Hun River (琿江, Honggang), he first disbanded the 219 righteous army men who had followed him until then and let them return to their hometowns. Although he allowed them to go home, part of the force followed him to the end and then moved to Liaodong. Yu In-seok crossed over to Tonghua County (通化縣), where many people of Joseon origin lived, settled in Odogu, gathered weapons and men, and planned a comeback. At this time, among the Hwaseo school's followers, a considerable number of his disciples and friends searched for a suitable place for training righteous army men and military drill, known as Sueuicheo (守義處), and moved en masse to western Jiandao. When Yu In-seok met those who had fled to western Jiandao, he said, "We can only bear the pain and nurse our grievances, waiting for the time to come (忍痛含寃 迫不得已)," and planned for the renewed mobilization of the righteous army.
In March 1898 (2nd year of Gwangmu), King Gojong recalled him, and upon receiving the royal summons he returned home immediately; in 1899 he again crossed over to Liaodong and devoted himself to lecturing on Neo-Confucianism, writing, and research. In early 1900, while he was active in China, Japanese troops secretly sent men who set fire to the house where he was staying and attempted to assassinate him. According to the testimony of his great-grandson, "Japanese troops set fire to Uiam's thatched house and committed the atrocity of shooting dead the men who rushed out to escape the fire, annihilating them," and "my grandfather (Yu Hae-dong), who at that time had unbound his topknot, was spared by the Japanese troops, who mistook him for a woman because his hair was long.2" At this time he miraculously survived.
In July 1900 he returned home again to avoid the Boxer Rebellion. Afterwards, moving between various parts of the northwest, including Pyeongsan in Hwanghae Province and Taecheon, Gaecheon, and Yongcheon in Pyeongan Province, he taught young men writing and Neo-Confucianism and trained disciples. He expounded anti-Japanese consciousness based on the theory of honoring China and rejecting the barbarians, and the restoration of independent national sovereignty, and at this time, Baek Sam-gyu, Yi Jin-ryong, and other disciples he produced from his school became righteous army leaders. At this time he lectured and taught writing and learning at Sanduje (山斗齋) in Pyeongsan County, Hwanghae Province, Sunghwaje (崇華齋) in Gaecheon County, Heungdo Seosa (興道書社) in Eunyul County, and OkSanjae (玉山齋) in Yongcheon County, South Pyongan Province; while using these places as bases, he repeatedly and tirelessly traveled between Cheolsan, Anju, Seoncheon, Pyeongyang, Yonggang, and Haeju in Hwanghae Province, training disciples, and he went directly to large towns to hold village drinking and lecture ceremonies from time to time and teach their methods, thereby stirring up the consciousness of the Great Principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals and of revering the king and expelling the barbarians.
In 1902 (6th year of Gwangmu), his disciples remaining in Korea collected his writings and published the 《Soui Sinpyeon (昭義新編)》.
Later Life
Exile and Righteous Army Activities
In August 1904, he wrote Chilsil Bundam. That same month, he declared the "Baeseong Iljeon" (Final Struggle) and proclaimed that it was proper to leave the country for distant foreign lands and carry out a "Geoguk Suui" (righteous departure from the nation). He also traveled through Hwanghae Province, Pyongan Province, Chungcheong Province, and other regions with the aim of resisting or enlightening people against the Iljinhoe. He gathered young men in county towns, organized hyangyak (village compacts), and actively encouraged people to return to their own villages and implement the hyangyak.
In November 1905 (the 9th year of Gwangmu), when the Eulsa Treaty was concluded, he called across the country for participation in the righteous army and appealed to educated people nationwide to resist, even if only through speech and writing. He urged that those who could not join the righteous army should, each in their own position, denounce Japan through protest and written statements.
After the Jeongmi Seven-Article Treaty was concluded, he judged that he could no longer continue activities inside the country and resolved to go into exile in the Primorsky Krai. In July 1908 (the 2nd year of Yunghui), he boarded a ship at Busan and crossed to Vladivostok in Russian-controlled Primorsky Krai.
A sick body, yet the racing ship carries me a thousand li, light as ever.
What is the lifespan of the nation now? Heaven's will urges me onward on this path.
Winds and clouds change at every moment, and only the sun and moon shine brightly alone.
The idle sounds around me, and my heart alone grows distant and vast.
Afterward, he interacted and corresponded from time to time with Choi Jae-hyeong, Yi Sang-seol, Ahn Jung-geun, Yi Beom-yun, and others, planning to establish a righteous army base, but the distances between their areas of activity and shortages of funds and manpower made this difficult. Together with Yi Sang-seol, Yi Beom-yun, and others, he continued to maintain steady contact and worked persistently to unify the anti-Japanese Korean forces scattered throughout Manchuria, and he also encouraged the recruitment of new righteous army members. In June 1910 (the 4th year of Yunghui), in Primorsky Krai, he organized the 13 Provinces Righteous Army (十三道義軍), aimed at unifying domestic and overseas righteous armies under a single command structure.
Organization of the 13 Provinces Righteous Army and Exile Righteous Army Activities
In June 1909 (the 3rd year of Yunghui), the Great Korean 13 Provinces Righteous Army, a unified body of righteous army forces in Primorsky Krai, was formed in Vladivostok, Russia, and he was elected Chief Commander (大韓十三道義軍都總裁) by Yi Sang-seol, Yi Beom-yun, Yi Nam-gi, and others. Immediately, he issued a proclamation titled "Tonggo Sipsam-do Daesodongpo" (Notice to All Compatriots of the Thirteen Provinces), declaring that all ten thousand people should unite as one and wage a war of national salvation against Japan until the last person. He then declared the raising of an army and led his forces to attempt an invasion across the Tumen River, but failed. He was arrested by Russian authorities at the Joseon-Russia border region but was later released.
On 2 October 1910 (the 4th year of Yunghui), when news of the conclusion of the Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty arrived, some Korean intellectuals residing in the Vladivostok area and nearby areas of Primorsky Krai gathered at the Hanmin School in Sinhanchon (新韓村), held a Korean assembly, and organized the Seongmyeonghoe. The name of the organization, Seongmyeonghoe, meant "to denounce the crimes of the enemy and clarify our grievances" (聲彼之罪 明我之寃). The Seongmyeonghoe invited Yu In-seok, who was then staying in Vladivostok, and elected him as its general representative (總代表). On the same day, they issued the Seongmyeonghoe's statement of purpose and resolved to fight against the Japanese until the day of national liberation. Thus, immediately after assuming the position of representative of the Seongmyeonghoe in October, he launched a signature campaign against the Japan-Korea annexation, requesting signatures from Korean compatriots and conscientious Chinese and Russian intellectuals, with a plan to make this known to the international community. Subsequently, with the support of major independence activists and some foreign intellectuals scattered around China and Russia, he collected 8,624 signatures. The signature register was attached as a copy of the "Seongmyeonghoe Declaration," which proclaimed the Korean people's determination for independence and requested the support and assistance of the great powers. The declaration, together with the joint signatures of 8,624 people, was sent to governments and acquired newspapers in various countries, including the United States, Russia, and the Republic of China.
Even after the loss of national sovereignty of the Korean Empire, he continued the independence movement aimed at advancing into Korean territory, and together with Yi Sang-seol and others attempted to advance toward the banks of the Tumen River, but this was thwarted. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan strongly protested to Russia and also sent envoys to Russia to pursue diplomatic negotiations, repeatedly demanding the dissolution and expulsion of Korean anti-Japanese movements throughout the Primorsky Krai region. At Japan's repeated requests, anti-Japanese activists such as Yi Sang-seol, Yi Beom-yun, Yi Gyu-pung, and Kim Jwa-du, as well as Yu In-seok's disciples, were temporarily arrested and imprisoned, and after receiving notice from Russia of the dissolution of the 13 Provinces Righteous Army, the organization disintegrated.
Yu In-seok, aiming for future endeavors and on condition of their release, dissolved the 13 Provinces Righteous Army and insisted on "Suhwa Jongsin" (devotion to China until death). Accordingly, he himself left Primorsky Krai for Manchuria. In February 1913, on his way to Western Jiandao, he stayed briefly at Mokhwachon (木花村, known locally as Pshiet) in Vladivostok and wrote and published Ujoo Mundap (宇宙問答), which discussed the cultural and institutional systems of the East and West in a question-and-answer format from the perspective of the Sinocentric sino-barbarian worldview (中華論的 華夷觀). In March 1914, he moved to Xifeng County (西豊縣) in Fengtian Province (奉天省) and began living in exile in Western Jiandao. In May of that year, he moved to Nancheonja (暖泉子) in Heungkyeong County (興京縣), and later arrived at the Bangchwigu (芳翠溝) village in Gwanjeon County (寬甸縣), Fengtian Province.
His works include the collected writings Uiamjip (毅菴集), Soui Sinpyeon (昭義新編), Hwadong Sokgangmok (華東續綱目), Ujoo Mundap (宇宙問答), and the co-authored Changui Gyeonmunrok (倡義見聞錄), which he wrote before going into exile. The collection also includes his manifestos such as "Gyeokgo Paldo Yeoleup" (Manifesto Announcing to the Cities of the Eight Provinces), "Gyeokgo Naeoe Baekgwan" (Manifesto Announcing to All Officials Inside and Outside), and "Hwanguk Jicho Sanjin Jeongdae Joeso" (Memorial Petitioning for Punishment Upon Returning to the Country at Chosan), as well as Gwak Jong-seok's "Pogo Cheonha Mun" (Proclamation to All Under Heaven), Yun Seok-bong's "Sangho Jwauibyeong Jangseo" (Letter to General of the Righteous Army Ho-jwa), and the "Aetongjo" (Lament) of Joseon King Gojong. He died of illness on 29 January 1915 in Bangchwigu, Gwanjeon County, Fengtian Province, Manchuria.
Posthumous
His son Ryu Hae-dong (柳海東), who had followed him, served under the righteous army leader Park Jang-ho (朴長浩), assisted him, and participated in righteous army activities. In 1919, he took part in the organization of the Daehan Doklip-dan (大韓獨立團) formed in southern Manchuria and was appointed as its secretary-general (總裁秘書).
After liberation, his remains were transported back to the country and reinterred at Sanmyeon 91, Gajeong-ri, Nam-myeon, Chunseong County, Gangwon Province (now Sanmyeon 91, Gajeong-ri, Nam-myeon, Chuncheon). His grave and the area around his shrine were later designated as Gangwon Province Monument No. 74.
His teacher Yi Hang-ro (Hwaseo) developed the academic and ideological theory of Wijeong cheoksa (defense of orthodoxy and rejection of heterodoxy). In contrast, Yu In-seok practiced and carried out a practical form of this theory by actively resisting enlightenment and the opening of ports, and he pursued a nationwide righteous army movement. He criticized and did not kill those who refused to participate in righteous army activities, instead urging them to resist Japan and the opening of ports through speech and writing. He personally traveled through the major towns of the northwestern region, gathered young men to teach them writing, and transmitted the ideas of Chunchu Daeui (Great Righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Annals) and Jonwang Yangi (Revere the King, Expel the Barbarians).
Argument for Maintaining Social Order
Social conflict within the righteous army was the most powerful obstacle to its activities.4 He executed Kim Baek-seon, a commander under him, for allegedly treating the yangban An Seung-u disrespectfully.
In the course of his righteous army activities, he placed great importance on maintaining the social order. A representative example is his execution of the commoner commander Kim Baek-seon, who had achieved great merit in the Battle of Chungju Fortress, on the grounds that Kim had treated the yangban An Seung-u disrespectfully. During an attack on a Japanese military position, Kim Baek-seon was defeated when reinforcements did not arrive, and he vehemently protested to the Middle Army Commander An Seung-u for failing to send reinforcements. Yu In-seok, however, executed Kim Baek-seon and even his son, on the charge of disrupting military discipline.4
Opposition to the Doctrine of Equality and Opposition to Freedom
Yu In-seok argued that all human beings could not be equal. Rather, he argued that even while speaking of equality, people would somehow divide and distinguish between noble and base. There is high and low in heaven and earth, and there is large and small among all things. Among humans too there are distinctions between ruler and subject, father and child, husband and wife, elder and younger, superior and inferior, noble and base, and differences between sages and ordinary people, or between the wise and the foolish. How could they be equal?5
Equality is indeed disorder, and disorder is indeed chaos.5 Freedom is indeed the refusal to yield, and without yielding there is indeed strife.5 The reason the present world is chaotic and rife with conflict is none other than the ideas of equality and freedom. When someone advocates equality and freedom, minds of chaotic contention arise, and this leads to actions that cause chaotic strife. When the world turns toward equality and freedom, minds of chaotic contention arise, and this leads to actions that cause chaotic strife. If such currents do not stop, humanity will decline and disappear, and heaven and earth will inevitably collapse.5
He also opposed gender equality. When the argument for gender equality began to appear, he pointed out that people could turn into beasts. He wrote: "Today people allow men and women to be treated equally in every way; how can this be said to imitate the principles of heaven and earth? They do not imitate them greatly. One might even say they are less than beasts. Women speak of equality and freedom and learn; if their learning advances to the point where they are merely equal to their husbands, that would be fortunate, but they will easily raise themselves and surpass and suppress their husbands. If they merely become free, that would be fortunate, but they will easily make their husbands unfree in turn.5" He pointed out this as well. He further predicted: "They will do this to their husbands, and do the same to their parents and parents-in-law, until in the end there will be nothing they do not do. Moreover, children are educated by their mothers from an early age, and if the mother conducts herself in this way, her sons too will be ruined, and the ruin will reach even their grandchildren.5"
He defined equality and freedom as the root causes of disrupting order. He also viewed equality and freedom as an opportunity for thoughtless petty people to flourish. Equality and freedom are the most evil doctrines, unmatched under heaven for ten thousand ages, because they aim to make everyone unrestrained and to turn everyone into petty people.5 Could such things be implemented in China and Joseon?5 He foresaw that freedom and equality would instead turn people into petty people. He saw that "equality and freedom give rise to freedom that knows neither disorder nor yielding."6
Pointing Out Problems Hidden Behind Freedom
Regarding freedom and liberalism, he claimed that there is no retreat and no yielding, and he pointed out whether, behind freedom, there was a conflict with respect for others. He foresaw that "freedom is indeed the refusal to yield, and without yielding there is indeed strife."5
Opposition to Girls' Schools
Yu In-seok directly refuted the views of Seo Jae-pil, who advocated women's education within the Independence Club, and of Yun Chi-ho, who favored gradually promoting girls' schools. He argued that girls' schools were places that turned humans into beasts and could make them rude. He wrote: "What is called a girls' school cannot be said to be anything other than a place of people who do not imitate heaven and earth and are like beasts. Ah! I cannot bear to say it. Ah! How could Joseon, a country of special courtesy in China and the world, where countless sages governed and taught, do such a wretched and shameful thing?"5
He also wrote: "Today men and women should be equal and each free, and both boys and girls have schools, so men and women move together; this means heaven and earth have no high or low. Earth seems to accomplish things by itself, but in truth does nothing by itself in place of heaven; if earth does not obey heaven but walks alongside heaven, it becomes stronger than heaven. Only when earth obeys heaven is harmony achieved, but today heaven and earth move equally and harmony has disappeared.5"
He argued that girls' schools would ruin the nation. According to him: "When a clever husband builds a fortress, a clever wife tilts it. Has any nation or family ever fallen through other causes without going through the clever woman? Now women attend schools, abandon their pure dispositions, and delight in strange and licentious habits. Inwardly they destroy their chastity, and outwardly they eagerly desire outside affairs. They merely cultivate a shrewd attitude and learn only the skills of improvisation. Being unrestrained in their willfulness, their efforts to become clever women know no end.5"
In his own writings, he wrote: "When the hen crows, the household ruins; if the hen crows in a nation, how could there be good fortune? If the hen crows under heaven, how could there be anything good under heaven? Alas!"5 He lamented, "Where will a sage-hero or a great hero arise to tear down the present Western-style boys' and girls' schools, restore the ancient Way, and once again let people see the flourishing times of the Three Dynasties (Yao, Shun, and Yu reigns)?"5
Family Relations
Father: Ryu Jung-gon (柳重坤)
Mother: Shin clan of Goryeong
Siblings: 3 brothers and 2 sisters
Adoptive father: Ryu Jung-seon (柳重善)
Adoptive mother: ?
Himself
First wife: Yeoheung Min clan (?–1867)
Second wife: Gyeongju Jeong clan
Son: Ryu Hae-dong (柳海東, 1891.11.12 – 1981.2.25)
Son: Ryu Je-ham (柳濟咸, 1884.10.26 – 1964.5.13)
Cousin (first cousin once removed, elder): Ryu Hong-seok (柳弘錫, 1841–1913)
Ahn Jung-geun reported his plan to Yu In-seok just before the assassination of Itō Hirobumi. Yu In-seok did not disclose this to the outside and encouraged Ahn Jung-geun, saying that if it succeeded, Japan's wrongdoing could be made known to the world. He recorded this plan in memo form without disclosing it outside, and it was included in Uiam Yaksa, written by his son Ryu Hae-dong.
The house in Bangchwigu, Gwanjeon County, Manchuria (now Sogoryeong Jisoeok No. 1 Group, Yeou-gol, Boldawon Township, Gwanjeon County), which was his later residence and where he died, was dismantled, and in May 1994 the Gwanjeon Manchu Autonomous County Ethnic Affairs Committee Sajipan Office erected the Uiam Memorial Stele near the site of the house. The inscription reads: "Late Yi Dynasty, leading scholar of Joseon Confucianism, renowned righteous army general Yu In-seok, art name Uiam. He lived in seclusion here in his later years. He died of illness on 14 March 1915, aged 73. In the world, he practiced 'Suhwa Jongsin' (devotion to China until death). Erected by the Gwanjeon Manchu Autonomous County Ethnic Affairs Committee Sajipan Office, May 1994."
Footnotes
This article includes content based on the Global World Encyclopedia, distributed under the GFDL or CC-SA license by Daum Communications (now Kakao).
Hyangeum-rye refers to a kind of irregular gathering of Confucian scholars whose purpose was to lecture on and discuss ancient texts, centered on the classics. It seems the Gangseup-rye and Hyangeum-rye were distinguished depending on whether there was a discussion (gangsong). At the Gangseup-rye of Jangdam (長潭), the sequence of lecture and recitation proceeded as follows: Gangjang (講長), Binjang (賓長), Jungbin (衆賓), Jesaeng (諸生), Sarye (司禮), Dokhol (讀笏), Sagang (司講), and Sajeong (司正). ↩