Jinju National Museum

After the signing of the Ganghwa Treaty in 1876, the Joseon Dynasty developed diplomatic ties with several Western countries and undertook modernist reforms. This failed to produce the needed outcomes in time, however, and Korea was deprived of its sovereignty by Japan in 1910. During the intervening years, intellectuals had built schools, published newspapers, and established organizations such as Dongnip Hyeophoe (Independence Association) in an attempt to protect the national sovereignty and modernize social customs. An Jung-geun (1879–1910) and Kang Sang-ho (1887–1957) took part in this effort. By assassinating Itō Hirobumi (1841–1909) in 1909, An Jung-geun publicized the Korean desire for independence and promoted a theory of how to achieve peace in East Asia. In 1923, Kang Sang-ho led the establishment of the Hyeongpyeongsa (Equity Society) to support the human rights of butchers, a group that had long suffered under social discrimination.

It is hoped that this exhibition will offer an opportunity to look at our own lives by examining the efforts of young Korean intellectuals on behalf of their country and society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.