우덕순 禹德淳
Independence activist who prepared the Harbin assassination with An Jung-geun; posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Independence Medal (1962)
| Life | 1880 ~ 1950 |
| Era | 일제강점기 |
| Clan | 단양 우씨 |
Life & career
U Deok-sun (1880-1950) was an independence activist from Jecheon, North Chungcheong, known as a comrade of An Jung-geun in the Harbin assassination. His pen name was Danun and his seat Danyang. He first took part in patriotic enlightenment groups such as the Independence Club; after the Eulsa Treaty was forced in 1905, judging that activity at home was no longer possible, he decided to leave the country to restore national sovereignty. That winter he went to Russia, founded a school with funds from comrades to educate youth, and, in contact with leaders such as Yi Beom-yun, organized volunteer troops to prepare for an anti-Japanese war.
In summer 1908 he crossed the Tumen with An Jung-geun, then chief of staff of the volunteer force, to attack Japanese camps in Gyeongheung and Hoeryeong and score successes; in spring 1909 he joined An and Kim Gi-yeol at Yeonchu in Russia in the Danji Alliance, swearing to give their lives for the nation. In October he met An in Vladivostok, heard the plan to eliminate Ito Hirobumi and agreed to join, and with Yu Dong-ha and Jo Do-seon went to Harbin, where they were assigned areas. An took Harbin Station and U Deok-sun Chagagou Station; on 26 October Ito was killed by An. U was arrested with his comrades by Russian police, handed over to the Japanese, tried at Lushun and sentenced in February 1910 to three years.
After a Hamheung prison escape plot came to light his term was extended by two years and he was released in 1915, then worked in education and religious activity in Harbin, Qiqihar and Manzhouli. After liberation he chaired the Korean residents' group in Heilongjiang Province and, with his son Dae-yeong, helped repatriate refugee compatriots, then returned and took part in founding the Daehan National Party. He was killed on 26 September 1950 during the Korean War by the North Korean army, and in 1962 was awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Independence Medal. In 2019, however, KBS alleged that in the 1920s-30s in Manchuria he served as an official of the pro-Japanese Joseon People's Association and was close to Japanese agencies, calling him a spy, while researchers of An Jung-geun offered counter-arguments, so assessments differ. This page follows the official decoration and notes the controversy.
The Danji Alliance and the Harbin Plot
He joined the Danji Alliance at Yeonchu in 1909 and in October went to Harbin to take Chagagou Station; the deed itself was carried out by An Jung-geun at Harbin Station.
Trial and After Liberation
He was sentenced to three years at Lushun, had his term extended after an escape plot, and was released in 1915. After liberation he helped repatriate compatriots before returning, and died in 1950 during the Korean War.
A Contested Assessment
He was awarded the Independence Medal in 1962, but a 2019 KBS report raised his activity in the Joseon People's Association and suspicions of being a spy. Researchers linked to the An Jung-geun memorial society offer a different reading, citing among other things a 1934 Japanese document that recorded strong anti-Japanese thinking, so this is presented as a question on which views remain divided.
Grave
The location of his tomb was not confirmed in the sources used here.
Descendants
His son U Dae-yeong is recorded as helping with the repatriation of compatriots after liberation.