이종일 李種一
Journalist who helped found the Jeguk Sinmun and independence activist who printed the March First Declaration at Bosungsa; pen name Okpa
| Life | 1858 ~ 1925 |
| Era | 조선 말~일제강점기 |
| Clan | 성주 이씨 |
Life & career
Yi Jong-il (李種一, 10 December 1858-31 August 1925) was a reform activist, journalist, independence activist and scholar of the Korean language at the end of Joseon, with pen name Okpa (沃波) and the Cheondogyo name Mugam. Wikipedia says he was born into a yangban family in Taean, South Chungcheong, the son of Yi Gyo-hwan of the Seongju Yi.
He passed the civil examination in 1873 and became an official, and after accompanying the envoy Bak Yeong-hyo to Japan in 1882 he threw himself into the enlightenment movement. He took part in founding the Independent in 1896, spoke at the Independence Club and the Mansu assemblies, and helped found the Hangul newspaper Jeguk Sinmun with Yi Seung-man and others. In March 1898 he organized the Daehan Jeguk Minryeokhoe, founded Heunghwa School with Min Yeong-hwan, and set up the Korean Language School with Kim Ga-jin and Ji Seok-yeong, stressing education. Around 1905-1906, through his acquaintance with Son Byeong-hui, he joined Cheondogyo and served as head of its monthly and as president of Bosung Printing Company.
At the March First Movement in 1919, as president of Bosungsa, he secretly printed 35,000 copies of the Declaration of Independence starting ten days before the event and distributed them. He was sentenced to three years in prison, served two and a half years and was released on parole. Afterwards, as president of the Joseon Korean Language Research Society, he studied Hangul orthography, and in 1922 he wrote a draft of a second declaration but was discovered. He died of malnutrition in poverty in 1925, and in 1962 was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Presidential Medal.
The Enlightenment Movement and Journalism
After his 1882 trip to Japan Yi Jong-il moved away from a purely Confucian outlook toward practical learning and enlightenment thought. After joining the Independent in 1896 he spoke at the Independence Club and the Mansu assemblies, and when the club was closed he devoted himself to journalism, helping found the Jeguk Sinmun and serving as president of the Daehan Hwangseong Sinmun. In 1898 he was jailed for lese majesty over a misprint in an article celebrating Emperor Gojong's birthday, but it proved to be a fabrication and he was soon released.
The March First Movement and Bosungsa
As president of Bosungsa, the printing house run by Cheondogyo, Yi Jong-il printed the Declaration of Independence in 1919. Wikipedia says he printed 35,000 copies at his own expense. Wikipedia also presents him as one of the 33 national representatives, but sources differ and this should be read apart from the usual list of signers. What is clear is that he was at the center of the printing, was named in court as one of the chief offenders and received a prison sentence. A statue of him stands at the old Bosungsa site in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
Grave
After a social funeral he was cremated and interred in the Itaewon common cemetery, and in May 1936 his granddaughter Yi Jang-ok and relative Yi Jong-rin moved the remains to the Miari common cemetery. His present resting place could not be confirmed.
Descendants
His son Yi Hak-sun died before him, and his granddaughter Yi Jang-ok is recorded as speaking for her grandfather. The Cheondogyo follower Yi Jong-rin was a younger relative.