When the
Japan-Korea Protectorate Treaty signed in 1905, the restoration of national sovereignty emerged as the most pressing issue, and righteous armies rose up across the country, attacking Japanese soldiers, merchants, and pro-Japanese Koreans known as
Chinilpa. The Righteous Army that rose up in this year is called the Jeongmi Righteous Army (乙巳義兵), initially led by Confucian scholars including
Choe Ik-hyeon. However, when government troops suppressed them, Confucian scholars, driven by feudal ethics that prohibited drawing a sword against the king, surrendered voluntarily. Instead, unknown gentry members and local peasants became the core of the righteous armies. After the disbandment of the
Korean Empire's army due to the
Japan–Korea Treaty of 1907, a significant number of soldiers joined the Righteous Army. The Righteous Army that rose up in this year is called the Jeongmi Righteous Army (丁未義兵), of which the leaders were either fallen nobles such as Sim Nam-il and Ahn Gyu-hong, or commoners such as
Shin Dol-seok. At the time, the most active area for the Righteous Army struggle was
South Jeolla Province, and Japanese landowners in this region became the primary targets of the Righteous Army's activities. In 1909, at the strong request of the
Mokpo Japanese Chamber of Commerce, the Japanese Empire launched the so-called Great Suppression of the Southern Insurgents Operation (南韓討伐大作戦), engaging in a decisive battle with the Righteous Army in Korea. As a result, the Righteous Army suffered a decisive blow and was forced to relocate its base to
Manchuria and other places. These Righteous Army members grew into the core of the
Korean Independence Army.
During the Righteous Armies resistance The Righteous Army was formed by
Yu In-seok and other Confucian scholars during the Peasant Wars. Its ranks swelled after the Queen's murder by the Japanese Samurais. Under the leadership of
Min Jeong-sik,
Choe Ik-hyeon and
Shin Dol-seok, the Righteous Army attacked the Japanese army, Japanese merchants and pro-Japanese bureaucrats in the provinces of
Gangwon,
Chungcheong,
Jeolla and
Gyeongsang. Choe Ik-hyeon was captured by the Japanese and taken to
Tsushima Island where he went on
hunger strike and finally died in 1906.
Shin Dol-seok, an uneducated peasant commanded over 3,000 troops. Among the troops were former government soldiers, poor peasants, fishermen, tiger hunters, miners, merchants, and laborers. The Korean army was disbanded on August 1, 1907. The Army was led by 1st Battalion Commander Major
Park Seung-hwan, who later committed suicide, which occurred after the disbandment and was led by former soldiers of the Korean Army against Japan in
Namdaemun Gate. The disbanded army joined the Righteous Armies and together they solidified the foundation for the Righteous Armies battle. In 1907, the Righteous Army under the command of
Yi In-yeong amassed 10,000 troops to liberate Seoul and defeat the Japanese. The Army came within 12 km of Seoul but could not withstand the Japanese counter-offensive. The Righteous Army was no match for two infantry divisions of 20,000 Japanese soldiers backed by warships moored near Incheon. The Righteous Army retreated from Seoul and the war went on for two more years. Over 17,000 Righteous Army soldiers were killed and more than 37,000 were wounded in combat. Unable to fight the Japanese army head-on, the Righteous Army split into small bands of
partisans to carry on the War of Liberation in China, Siberia, and the Baekdu Mountains in Korea. The Japanese troops first quashed the Peasant Army and then disbanded what remained of the government army. Many of the surviving guerrilla and anti-Japanese government troops fled to
Manchuria and
Primorsky Krai to carry on their fight. In 1910, Japan annexed Korea and started the
period of Japanese rule.
Armies and orders of battle Of the sixty righteous armies, the list and descriptions below follow what is known of the names of the more well-known armies and their sequential appearance in combat; individual generals and named figures are given larger biographies on separate articles which cite more historical background.
In 1895: Righteous army of Eulmi •
Yi So-ung •
No Eung-gyu •
Gi U-man •
Yi Gang-nyeon In 1905: Righteous army of Eulsa •
Choe Ik-hyeon •
Min Jong-sik •
Shin Dol-seok • Jeong Yong-gi •
Yi Han-gu •
Im Byeong-chan In 1907: Righteous army of Jeongmi •
Hong Beom-do •
Yun Hui-sun • •
Kim Su-min •
13 province alliance righteous army in 1908 • Commander in chief:
Yi In-yeong • Commander:
Heo Wi • Representative of
Gangwon:
Min Geung-ho • Representative of
Chungcheong: Yi Gang-nyeon • Representative of
Gyeongsang:
Park Jeong-bin • Representative of
Gyeonggi,
Hwanghae:
Gwon Jung-hui • Representative of
Pyeongan:
Bang In-gwan • Representative of
North Hamgyeong:
Jeong Bong-jun • Representative of
Jeolla:
Mun Tae-su ==See also==