1. Lyuh Woon-hyung, known by his art name Mongyang, was a Korean independence activist and reunification activist.
15 Facts About Lyuh Woon-hyung
1. 2.
Lyuh Woon-hyung is rare among politicians in modern Korean history for being revered in both South and North Korea.
3.
Lyuh Woon-hyung was born in 1886 in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Joseon.
4.
Lyuh Woon-hyung was born into the Hamyang Yeo clan to father Yo Chong-hyon.
5.
In 1900, Lyuh Woon-hyung enrolled in the Western-style Pai Chai School.
6.
In 1910, Lyuh Woon-hyung dramatically parted from Korean tradition by freeing slaves owned by his household.
7.
In 1914, Lyuh Woon-hyung went to China where he studied English literature at a university in Nanjing.
8.
In 1919, Lyuh Woon-hyung participated in the creation of the February 8 Declaration of Independence in Tokyo.
9.
Lyuh Woon-hyung would serve in a variety of roles in the government, such as being a member of the organization's Legislative Assembly.
10.
Lyuh Woon-hyung established a Korean school called Insong School in Shanghai around this time.
11.
In 1944, in anticipation of Japan's defeat in World War II, Lyuh Woon-hyung organized the secret Korean National Establishment Committee and served as its chairman.
12.
Just before the surrender of Japan in August 1945, Japanese official Endo Ryusaku established contact with Lyuh Woon-hyung and agreed on the release of prisoners and the Japanese withdrawal from Korea.
13.
On 6 September 1945, Lyuh Woon-hyung proclaimed the People's Republic of Korea with Lyuh Woon-hyung as Chairman of the National People's Representative Conference.
14.
On 19 July 1947, Lyuh Woon-hyung was assassinated in Seoul by a 19-year-old man named Han Chi-geun, who fled from North Korea and was an active member of the right-wing terrorist group the White Shirts Society.
15.
On 21 February 2008, Lyuh Woon-hyung was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation Republic of Korea Medal.