Patriot of Independence · Righteous Army · Presidential Medal (Daetongnyeong-jang) (1962)
| Life | 1878 ~ 1908 |
| Era | 근현대 |
| Clan | 평산 신씨 |
Sin Dol-seok, a commoner from Yeongdeok in North Gyeongsang Province, is regarded as the first commoner-born righteous army (uibyeong) commander of the late Korean Empire. He first raised a militia at age 18 in 1896, in the aftermath of the 1895 assassination of Empress Myeongseong, and rose again with his brother after the 1905 Eulsa Treaty, waging guerrilla warfare across Gyeongsang and Gangwon provinces.
Known for his mastery of local terrain and elusive tactics that harassed Japanese forces, he earned the nickname "Tiger of Taebaeksan." In 1907 he was named commander of the Yeongnam (southeastern) contingent of the 13-Province Righteous Army formed under Yi In-yeong. In November 1908 he was assassinated at Nulgok, Yeongdeok, reportedly by men posing as subordinates — most accounts identify the three Kim Sang-ryeol brothers as the killers. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Grand Cordon, in 1962.