Peace in the East: An Chunggun's Vision for Asia in the Age of Japanese Imperialism

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On October 26, 1909, the Korean patriot An Chunggn assassinated the Japanese statesman It Hirobumi in Harbin, China. More than a century later, the ramifications of Ans daring act continue to reverberate across East Asia and beyond. This volume explores the abiding significance of An, his life, and his written work, most notably On Peace in the East (Tongyang pynghwaron), from a variety of perspectives, especially historical, legal, literary, philosophical, and political. The ways in which An has been understood and interpreted by contemporaries, by later generations, and by scholars and thinkers even today shed light on a range of significant issues including the intellectual and philosophical underpinnings for both imperial expansion and resistance to it; the ongoing debate concerning whether violence, or even terrorism, is ever justified; and the possibilities for international cooperation in todays East Asia as a regional collective. Students and scholars of East Asia will find much to engage with and learn from in this volume.

Reviews

A wide-ranging and multidimensional look at one of modern East Asias most divisive historical figuresnational hero to some, terrorist assassin to othersthis richly researched and fascinating collection of essays on An Chunggn offers surprising new perspectives not only on the man himself but also on the history of the region in the early twentieth century. -- Carter J. Eckert, Harvard University
An Chunggn is best known for a violent act in his 1909 assassination of Japans most revered diplomat, It Hirobumi. He is less known for the prison writings he compiled while awaiting his execution that reveal his aspiration for regional peace. The first English-language effort to discuss An and his writings, Peace in the East creatively weaves together examinations of his final thoughts as interpreted from a diverse array of perspectives. -- Mark Caprio, Rikkyo University
Thoughtfully framed, this fresh look at Korean independence fighter An Chunggn broadly conceptualizes his life and written work. Breaking free of the Korea versus Japan dynamic that stymies regional integration and understandingas well as learning about An himselfthe editors and authors of this timely volume situate An in the context of related anti-Japanese imperialist movements of the day, ranging from the Ryukyu Islands to Northeast China and within Japan itself. Moreover, they consider An Chunggns place and engagement with international peace movements such as the Red Cross, the Carnegie Endowment, the Nobel Peace Prize, and the Hague International Peace Conference. An is best understood, as one of one authors here explains, as promoting an Asianism for organizing Korea, China, and Japan into a peaceful community of equals. That An Chunggns early twentieth-century vision On Peace in the East howled into the wind and ended in violence speaks only to the pressing need today continue to understand the alternate future for Asia he proposed. -- Alexis Dudden, University of Connecticut

Author Bio

Yi Tae-Jin is professor emeritus of Korean history at Seoul National University. Eugene Y. Park is Korea Foundation associate professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania. Kirk W. Larsen is associate professor of history at Brigham Young University.