Independence activist who served as Propaganda Director of the Korean Provisional Government and assisted Kim Gu (pen name Ilpa)
| Life | 1898 ~ 1962 |
| Era | 일제강점기~현대 |
| Clan | 영월 엄씨 |
Eom Hang-seop (1898-1962) was an independence activist from Yeoju, Gyeonggi, of the Yeongwol clan, with pen name Ilpa (一波) and alias Eom Il-pa. After graduating from Bosung Higher Common School he took part in the March First Movement, fled to Shanghai, sought out Sin Gyu-sik and joined the Dongjehoe, and is said to have graduated from Jigang University in Hangzhou. Dit News24 introduces him as a 28th-generation Yeongwol Eom.
He worked at the French Concession public bureau and financially supported the Provisional Government, then met Kim Gu, devoted himself to the government and became his closest aide. He took part in founding the Korean Independence Party in 1930 and became Propaganda Director of the Provisional Government in 1944. A skilled writer, he is said to have written most statements and appeals issued in Kim Gu's name and translated Kim Gu's writings into Chinese.
He returned in the first group of the Provisional Government on 23 November 1945, assisted Kim Gu, took part in the anti-trusteeship movement and supported Kim Gu's North-South negotiations. He was taken north in September 1950 during the Korean War, was implicated in the so-called "Eom Hang-seop incident" in North Korea in 1958 and is known to have died on 30 July 1962. South Korea conferred an Order of Merit for National Foundation, though Wikipedia gives conflicting years and classes (the Republic of Korea Medal in 1988 and the Independence Medal in 1989) that need checking.
Wikipedia describes controversy over how he went north: he is presumed to have been abducted against his will, yet there were also rumors that he went voluntarily after losing his political base on Kim Gu's death and given his standing as an opponent of Syngman Rhee. It is better to read the sources together than to settle on one side.
He is assessed as having handled the Provisional Government's outward documents with fine writing and as devoted to the government and to Kim Gu, even looking after Kim Gu's daily life. Wikipedia reports that North Korea conferred a Reunification Prize on 15 August 1990.
Wikipedia says only that his remains are enshrined at the Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery in Pyongyang, without further location.