Patriot of Independence · Righteous Army · Presidential Medal (Daetongnyeong-jang) (1962)
| Life | 1861 ~ 1917 |
| Era | 근현대 |
| Clan | 여흥 민씨 |
Min Jong-sik, a relative of Empress Myeongseong who had risen to vice minister after passing the state examination in 1882, resigned his post after the 1895 assassination of the empress and retired to Jeongsan, South Chungcheong. Outraged by the 1905 Eulsa Treaty, he raised a righteous army and in 1906 attacked Hongju Fortress with about 600 men; after an initial defeat he regrouped at Hongsan and captured Seocheon-eup and Nampo fortress in succession. He then took Hongju Fortress in a second battle, drawing in fighters from other regions until his forces numbered around 1,200. He was eventually captured and sentenced to death, later commuted, and was posthumously awarded the Grand Order of Mugunghwa in 1962.