E2024-G179

Kim Tae-won and the Anti-Japanese Civilian Armies

Narrative

Kim Tae-won (1870-1908) (pen name: Jukbong) was anti-Japanese civilian army leader in the Honam region in the last years of the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910). He participated in the Donghak Peasant Uprising in 1894. Later in 1906, he formed an anti-Japanese civilian army with his younger brother Kim Yul (1881-1908). In January 1908, he fought against the Japanese with his brother at Mudeungdan Mountain, successfully killing the head of the Japanese army stationed in Gwangju, named Yoshida. However, he lost his life in the battle on Gwangju’s Eodungsan Mountain in May of that year. Jukbong-daero 깸 in Gwangju is named after him, while there are several monuments erected in his honor.

Story Map

• Heroic Legacies: From Joseon Loyalty to Independence Fighters
  • The Three Loyal Subjects of Gwangju: Go Gyeong-myeong, Kim Deok-ryeong, and Jeon Sang-ui
  • Leading the Community in Times of Peace and War: Go Gyeong-myeong
  • Gwangju’s Patriotic Martyr: General Jeon Sang-ui
  • Jeong Ji and Jeong Chung-sin: A Family Legacy of Military Valor
  • Kim Tae-won and the Anti-Japanese Civilian Armies