연기우 延基羽

Righteous-army commander active in Gyeonggi and Gangwon; battalion commander of the Thirteen Provinces Righteous Army

Life & career

Yeon Gi-u (延基羽) was a righteous-army commander active in Gyeonggi and Gangwon at the end of the Korean Empire. Citing the 2002 clan genealogy Goksan Yeonssi Daedongbo, Namuwiki identifies him as a Goksan Yeon member of the Sangju-gong branch, 26th generation (羽 generation), with the early name Yeon Min-su and other names Yeon Gi-ho and Yeon Bong-ryeol. His father was Yeon So-deuk and he was the eldest of three sons. His birth year and origin are unknown; one account says he was a deputy officer of the Ganghwa garrison and another a scholar of Jeokseong, neither confirmed. A subordinate, Gang Ho-yeo, recalled that he was over fifty, a Seonggyungwan licentiate, learned, patriotic and respected.

When the Korean army was forcibly disbanded after the 1907 treaty, the Ganghwa garrison turned into a righteous army. In August, as the Ganghwa forces retreated overland after a Japanese raid on Ganghwa town, Yeon Gi-u raised an army at Deogul-po in Jangdan County. That autumn he took part in the advance on Seoul with Heo Wi and others, and in January 1908, when Yi In-yeong was chosen commander of the Thirteen Provinces Righteous Army, he became a battalion commander and advanced to within thirty li of the East Gate; he was wounded in the retreat. His younger brother Yeon Chang-su was reportedly captured and executed.

He later expanded his base around Majeon and Jangdan, allied with other commanders and fought Japanese troops at Pocheon, Sakyeong, Cheorwon, Yeoncheon and Jeokseong. In May 1909 he raided the house of a French Catholic missionary at Icheon, Gangwon, taking ammunition and firearms, and bought new weapons through Yi Beom-yun in northern Jiandao. Funds came from wealthy residents and village heads, and he reportedly reclaimed money at once if a subordinate tried to use it privately. A story says he wore bulletproof waist armor, and a June 1910 record says the Cheorwon gendarmerie seized it at Sakyeong.

In March-April 1910 a large Japanese operation killed his middle-army chief Kim Jung-un and vanguard Yeon Seong-chil; he himself was arrested at Cheorwon but escaped with his men's help. Sources disagree on his end: the Maeil Sinbo of 28 December 1911 reported his shooting by gendarmes at Gapyeong, but on 28 June 1914 it reported that Inje gendarmes had arrested 'Yeon Gi-u and his son', so his death is shown only as about 1911. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Presidential Medal, in 1962 and named Independence Activist of the Month in August 2015. His grave is unknown.

Where Records Differ

His origin, status and end differ by source: a deputy officer of the Ganghwa garrison versus a scholar of Jeokseong, and a 1911 shooting at Gapyeong versus a 1914 arrest at Inje. That he was a 26th-generation Sangju-gong member rests on the clan genealogy.

Grave

Unknown

Descendants

Reports of 1910 and 1914 mention a son, whose name could not be confirmed.

Other 곡산 연씨 figures