Independence patriot · Righteous army · Order of Independence (Dongnipjang, 1963)
| Life | 1868 ~ 1896 |
| Era | 근현대 |
| Clan | 덕수 이씨 |
A native of Jipyeong, Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, Yi Chun-yeong studied under scholars of the Hwaseo school. In 1895, in response to the assassination of Empress Myeongseong and the hair-cutting edict, he and his friend An Seung-u raised a righteous army at Anchang-ri in Wonju, capturing the magistrates of Jecheon, Danyang and Cheongpung as well as the governor of Chungju, and routing a Japanese relief force at Jangoe in Danyang.
He then joined the larger Hojwa Righteous Army under commander-in-chief Yu In-seok, serving as commander of the Middle Army. After capturing Chungju Fortress in February 1896, his forces repelled a Japanese counterattack, but he was killed by enemy fire while leading a follow-up assault on the Japanese military supply depot at Suanbo. He is buried in Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, and was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Independence Medal, in 1963.
Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province