The Battle of Namdaemun (남대문 전투), also known as the Battle of the South Great Gate, was an insurgency by the Korean army against Japanese forces in Korea as a reaction to the disbandment of the Korean army following the

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1907 The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1907 was made between the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire in 1907. Negotiations were concluded on July 24, 1907.Korean Mission to the Conference on the Limitation of Armament, Washington, D.C., 1921-1922. (1922 ...

. It took place at the

Namdaemun Gate Namdaemun (, ), officially known as the Sungnyemun (, ), is one of the Eight Gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, South Korea, which surrounded the city in the Joseon dynasty. It is located in Jung-gu between Seoul Station and Seoul Plaza, ...

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 ...

on August 1, 1907.

Overview

In July 1907, the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...

forced the Yunghui Emperor to disband the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

of the

Korean Empire The Korean Empire () was a Korean monarchical state proclaimed in October 1897 by Emperor Gojong of the Joseon dynasty. The empire stood until Japan's annexation of Korea in August 1910. During the Korean Empire, Emperor Gojong oversaw the Gwa ...

. As a result, the Korean military personnel went on an armed

revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

. The site and street where the battle exploded correspond today to the current location of the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Because of the vastly inferior armaments of the Korean army, the battle ended in a Japanese victory, with Japan capturing the army base. Many members of the disbanded army joined

Righteous Armies Righteous armies, sometimes called irregular armies or militias, are informal civilian militias that have appeared several times in Korean history, when the national armies were in need of assistance. The first righteous armies emerged during th ...

, and together they solidified a foundation for the Righteous Armies’ Battle of 1907.

Historical context and description

In 1906, the 44th year of Gojong’s reign,

Ito Hirobumi Ito may refer to: Places * Ito Island, an island of Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea * Ito Airport, an airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo * Ito District, Wakayama, a district located in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan * Itō, Shizuok ...

was installed as the first

Japanese Resident-General of Korea The Japanese resident-general of Korea ( ja, 韓国統監, Kankokutōkan; ko, 일본의 대 한국통감, Ilbon-ui dae hangugtong-gam) was the leader of Korea under Japanese rule from 1905 to 1910. This post was highly hated among native Korea ...

. As Imperial Japan hurried to annex Korea outright, Gojong attempted to appeal to world leaders by sending a secret delegation to the

Hague Convention of 1907 The Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 are a series of international treaties and declarations negotiated at two international peace conferences at The Hague in the Netherlands. Along with the Geneva Conventions, the Hague Conventions were amon ...

. The Japanese soon discovered Gojong's plan and forced him to abdicate in July 1907, then forced his successor

Sunjong Sunjong, the Emperor Yunghui (; 25 March 1874 – 24 April 1926), was the second and the last Emperor of Korea, of the Yi dynasty, ruling from 1907 until 1910. Biography Crown Prince of Korea Sunjong was the second son of Emperor Gojong a ...

to sign the Jeongmi Treaty of 1907. The treaty disbanded the Armed Forces of the Korean Empire, which was the last remaining military force of the Korean Empire. On August 1 at 8:00 a.m., the 1st Battalion (unarmed 1st Siwi Regiment) was about to depart for the training center where the disbandment ceremony was to take place. The 1st Battalion

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Major

Park Seung-hwan Park Seung-hwan was a Korean major, war hero and independence activist of the Korean Empire. He was known for organizing the Battle of Namdaemun after his suicide as a response to the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1907 and the abdication of Emperor ...

(1869-1907), wrote a note on a paper in protest against the disbandment of the armed forces, "I could die ten thousand times because I couldn’t protect my country as a soldier.” Then Park committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

by shooting himself. His suicide enraged the soldiers, who extorted

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

and

armaments A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

, arranged sentries around the barracks, and started to open fire with guns against the

Japanese army The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

. The 2nd Infantry Regiment or 1st Battalion inside

Sungnyemun Gate Namdaemun (, ), officially known as the Sungnyemun (, ), is one of the Eight Gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, South Korea, which surrounded the city in the Joseon dynasty. It is located in Jung-gu between Seoul Station and Seoul Plaza, ...

, heard the gunshots around

Seosomun Souimun (Hangul 소의문, Hanja 昭義門; also known as Southwest Gate) was one of the The Eight Gates of Seoul, Eight Gates of Seoul in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, Fortress Wall of Seoul, South Korea, which surrounded the city in the Joseon ...

Gate. They arrived and also opened fire on the Imperial Japanese Army. Around 9:30 am, the Imperial Japanese Army had its 51st Infantry Regiment's first, second, and third battalions fire indiscriminately with machine guns installed on the rampart of

Sungnyemun Namdaemun (, ), officially known as the Sungnyemun (, ), is one of the Eight Gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, South Korea, which surrounded the city in the Joseon dynasty. It is located in Jung-gu between Seoul Station and Seoul Plaza, ...

. The Korean forces' armaments were vastly inferior to the Japanese army's. Therefore, the Namdaemun Barracks has occupied around 10:50 the Imperial Japanese Army took a.m., and the Seosomun Barracks around 11:40 a.m. A significant part of the Imperial Korean Armed Forces kept resisting outside Seosomun Gate. Many of the disbanded soldiers joined the

to fight. They strengthened a foundation for the Righteous Armies’ Battle of 1907, which led to the Anti-Japanese War of the Righteous Armies. A geographical map of

Gyeongseong Seoul has been known in the past by successive names, including Wiryeseong () and Hanseong (Baekje era), Bukhansangun (Goguryo era), Hanyang (North and South states period), Namgyeong (, Goryeo era), Hanyangbu (Goryeo under Mongol rule), Hanseong ...

in 1903 shows that the Barracks of the 1st Battalion (currently 120 in

Seosomun-dong Seosomun-dong is a legal '' dong'', or neighbourhood of the Jung-gu district in Seoul, South Korea and governed by its administrative dong, Sogong-dong. Air China has an office on the 1st and 2nd floors of the Hansuang Building in Seosomun-dong. ...

) and the Barracks of the 2nd Battalion (now 34 in Nanchang-dong) were located in the southeast of

Gate and

Gate, respectively. Seosomun and Sungnyemun are the places where the street battle exploded. This site now corresponds to the current Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Analysis

The Battle of

Namdaemun Namdaemun (, ), officially known as the Sungnyemun (, ), is one of the Eight Gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, South Korea, which surrounded the city in the Joseon dynasty. It is located in Jung-gu between Seoul Station and Seoul Plaza, ...

against Japan sparked the desire to resist the dissolution of the Korean army. From an international point of view, the battle was a small

combat Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

action because of the small size of the Korean forces. Indeed, Korean soldiers numbered only 3,000 during this battle. On the other hand, this event was necessary from a Korean national point of view because almost all of the capital guards were committed to it. There were 20,000 Korean soldiers in the country and only 4,000 in the

capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, Department (country subdivision), department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city ...

Aftermath

Many members of the Korean Empire Armies were killed or captured during the Battle of Namdaemun.

The Righteous Army

Before the Battle of Namdaemun, the Righteous Army was mainly composed of poor peasants, fishers, tiger hunters, miners, merchants, and laborers. After the Battle of Namdaemun, many regular army members joined the Righteous Army in 1907.

Cultural references

* '' Mr. Sunshine'' (2018

Korean drama Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

)

Notes

References

{{Reflist 1907 in Korea Military history of Korea Korea under Japanese rule