Gim Ga-jin was an Imperial Korean politician, diplomat and an independence activist during

Korea under Japanese rule Between 1910 and 1945, Korea was ruled as a part of the Empire of Japan. Joseon Korea had come into the Japanese sphere of influence with the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876; a complex coalition of the Meiji government, military, and business offic ...

Life

Gim was born in 1846. His father was Gim Ung-gyun, who was a member of

Andong Kim clan {{unreferenced, date=December 2014 The Andong Kim clan (Hangul: 안동 김씨, Hanja: 安東金氏) refers to two Korean clans. They were prominent yangban families during Korea's Joseon Dynasty originating from Andong, North Gyeongsang provinc ...

. His father was a Yejo Minister. He was a concubine child from a

Kisaeng Kisaeng (Hangul: 기생, Hanja: 妓生, RR: ''Gisaeng''), also called ginyeo (Hangul: 기녀, Hanja: 妓女), were women from outcast or slave families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men ...

. He started his career as Chamseogwan of Royal library. In 1886, Kim passed

Gwageo The ''gwageo'' or ''kwago'' were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' ability of writing composition and knowledge of the Chinese cla ...

literary examination. On 16 May 1887 (Lunar Calendar), Gim was appointed as minister sent to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. He was sent back to Korea on 21 September 1891 (Lunar Calendar). Gim was a great supporter of reform. Gim tried to eliminate

Yeoheung Min clan The Yeoheung Min clan () is a Korean clan that traces its origin to Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province. The 2015 Korean Census counted 167,124 members of the Yeoheung Min clan. Origin The Yeoheung Min clan's progenitor was Min Ching-do (민칭도, 閔� ...

from the power and bring

Heungseon Daewongun Heungseon Daewongun (흥선대원군, 興宣大院君, 21 December 1820 – 22 February 1898; ), also known as the Daewongun (대원군, 大院君), Guktaegong (국태공, 國太公, "The Great Archduke") or formally Internal King Heungseon Heon ...

to power. Daewongun also wanted to use Gim in the new government as a member of progressive fraction. Gim was appointed as Minister of agriculture, Industry and Commerce on 1 April 1895 (Lunar Calendar). Gim resigned his position on 17 August 1895 (Lunar Calendar). In August 1895, Gim was appointed as 1st Class member of Junchuwon. On 27 August 1895, Gim was appointed as the Korean envoy sent to Japan. Gim resigned from his office on 1 February 1896. He was appointed as 1st class member of the Junchuwon. In July 1896, Gim registered in the newly formed

Independence Club The Independence Association (독립협회, 獨立協會) was founded through the initiative of Philip Jaisohn (Seo Jae-pil) on July 2, 1896. At its founding it was recognized by the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Despite some remarkable ach ...

. In 1898, Gim was appointed as the observer of the

Hwanghae Province Hwanghae Province (''Hwanghae-do'' ) was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon era. Hwanghae was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Haeju. The regional name for the province was Haeseo. History In 139 ...

, in 1900 the speaker of the Jungchuwon and in 1902, he became special official of the Gungnaebu. After the

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905, also known as the Eulsa Treaty, Eulsa Unwilling Treaty or Japan–Korea Protectorate Treaty, was made between the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire in 1905. Negotiations were concluded on November 17, 19 ...

was signed, Gim showed his disapproval. On 8 May 1906, Gim was demoted to the Observer of the

South Chungcheong Province South Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청남도, ''Chungcheongnam-do''), also known as Chungnam, is a province of South Korea. South Chungcheong has a population of 2,059,871 (2014) and has a geographic area of 8,204 km2 (3,168 sq mi) located in ...

. He simultaneously served as the Judge of the South Chungcheong court from 16 May 1906. Gim became the president of Daehan Organizations and tried to vomit the

Iljinhoe The Iljinhoe (一進會; 일진회) was a nationwide organization in Korea formed on August 8, 1904. A Japanese record states the number of party members was about 800,000, but another survey record by the Japanese Resident-General of Korea in 19 ...

, a pro-Japanese organization of Korea. He retired from the officialdom. After the annexation of Korea, Gim was ennobled as

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

. During the

March 1st Movement The March 1st Movement, also known as the Sam-il (3-1) Movement (Hangul: 삼일 운동; Hanja: 三一運動), was a protest movement by Korean people and students calling for independence from Japan in 1919, and protesting forced assimilation ...

, Gim participated as one of the representatives of Korea. After the March 1st Movement, Gim became the president of Daedongdan. On 19 October 1919, Gim fled to

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

with Yi Jong-uk, an agent from the

Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea The Korean Provisional Government (KPG), formally the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, was a partially recognized Korean government-in-exile based in Shanghai, China, and later in Chongqing, during the period of Japanese c ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. Gim and Yi went to Shanghai by train. Gim disguised himself as a man living in countryside. Gim's refuge was successful, helped the Daedongdan to act in Shanghai. After Daedongdan was dissolved, Gim joined the

. He died in

on 4 July 1922.

Honours

Order of the Palgwae Order of the Palgwae was an order of chivalry of the Korean Empire that was given to military personnels and officials. It was established on 16 April 1901. The order was divided into eight classes. Form Order of the Palgwae had eight gwaes in t ...

2nd Class on 11 April 1905

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gim Ga-jin 1846 births 1923 deaths Officials of the Korean Empire Politicians of the Korean Empire 19th-century Korean people Joseon politicians Korean independence activists Joseon Kazoku