Independence activist, founder of the Dongjesa and acting premier and foreign minister of the Provisional Government (pen name Yegwan)
| Life | 1880 ~ 1922 |
| Era | 근현대 |
| Clan | 고령 신씨 |
Sin Gyu-sik (申圭植, 1880-1922) was an independence activist and former officer of the Korean Empire army. His pen names included Yegwan, Yeoseo, Ilmin, Cheonggu and Hanin, and in China he used the name Shen Cheng (申檉). His father, Sin Yong-u, was a councillor of the Jungchuwon. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture says he was born in Hanseong and raised in the family's home region of Cheongwon (now Cheongju), North Chungcheong, while other sources give Cheongju as his birthplace.
He entered the government Chinese Language School in 1898 and two years later the Army Military Academy, after which he was commissioned and promoted to lieutenant. When the 1905 protectorate treaty was forced on Korea he tried to organize an uprising with provincial garrison troops, and when it failed he attempted suicide by poison; the attempt left the nerve of his right eye paralyzed, giving him a sidelong gaze, and he took the name Yegwan ("looking askance"). He then joined the Korea Self-Strengthening Society and the Korea Association, helped found schools such as Mundong, Jungdong and Cheongdong, and in 1909 joined Daejonggyo. When Korea was annexed in 1910 he again took poison but was saved by Na Cheol.
In 1911 he went into exile in Shanghai, became the first Korean to join Sun Yat-sen's Tongmenghui, and took part in the Xinhai Revolution. In 1912 he founded the independence organization Dongjesa and became its chairman, and to build ties with Chinese revolutionaries he launched the Xinya Tongjishe. In 1913 he founded the Bakdal School, inviting Park Eun-sik and Sin Chae-ho as lecturers; in 1915 he organized the Daedong Bogukdan with Park Eun-sik; and in 1918 he led the organization of the New Korea Youth Party.
In the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea he became Minister of Justice in November 1919 and also served as acting premier and foreign minister. In 1921 he went as special envoy to the Chinese government in Guangzhou, met President Sun Yat-sen, delivered a state letter and won recognition of the Provisional Government. As internal strife deepened in 1922 he refused food for twenty-five days on his sickbed, and on 25 September that year he died at his home in the French Concession of Shanghai, leaving a final wish for Korean independence. His works include Hanguk hon (The Soul of Korea) and the poetry collection Amongnu. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Presidential Medal, in 1962.
He was first buried in the International Cemetery on Hongqiao Road, Shanghai (Encyclopedia of Korean Culture).