Is it the independence army or the Japanese police? Those who stabbed a child in the stomach – 1924 North Pyongan Provincial Council massacre [청계천 옆 사진관]

◇Photo Caption◇▲Right: Choi Heung-ju, who survived by suicide ▲Center: Choi In-guk, a child with his intestines removed after being shot

On the night of August 11, a month and a half before this article and photo were published, armed assailants burned down the entire village in Sinheung-dong, Hwachang-myeon, Wiwon-gun, North Pyongan Province, destroying six houses and massacring twenty-eight families in an instant. There was. However, in response to Japan’s announcement that it was the independence army’s fault, the independence army stated that it was not their fault, but even after that, the Japanese government has not revealed the exact outline of the incident and the perpetrators. Accordingly, the newspaper sent a correspondent from an unknown association (a type of joint reporting group) to the site. “We deliver this news while thinking of our poor compatriots in the border area, where tensions exceed those of a wartime situation,” he explains, explaining the background to the article.

A newspaper page covering the 1924 North Pyongan Provincial Council massacre

This photo was also published in the Chosun Ilbo at the time. The Chosun Ilbo captioned the photo: “The person who escaped the disaster = The person sitting on the right is Choi Hong-ju, who survived the fire. “The child lying next to him is his son Choi In-guk, who was stabbed by a gun, and the other people are his relatives who are trying to nurse him,” he wrote.

First, let’s look at an overview of the incident. ◇ The article is called “The Border Disaster Incident,” which was a huge disaster for the country. Since it was a very extensive article, I summarized it as briefly and easily as possible and in current language.

A catastrophic incident at the border that made the sky cry and the earth wail – 40 armed troops suddenly appeared in the middle of the night in a remote village and passed by, destroying the entire village.

– Innocent residents die cruelly in an instant in the rising flames.

– 6 houses burned down, 28 people burned to death

– The human form disappears in the ashes, and all that remains are the remains of a dog and a chicken. A sound like a cicada crying can be heard in the ashes, as if even a white bone would burst into tears, and even gunshots can be vaguely heard. It is such a miserable and miserable scene, only ruins remain.

– The independence group claimed that it was the police’s fault, and the police postponed responsibility by saying it was the independence group’s fault. Heaven and the reader will decide the truth of this incident.

– Horrible torture and capital punishment. “Armed troops came to my house… Testimony of Ms. Song, a 15-year-old girl in refuge who said,

– The story of Mr. Choi, who ran away from the raging fire holding his intestines, and the horrific scenes before and after.

-Who is the cruel devil? As the residents of Cheongsando silently flee to avoid this terrible disaster, there is no one to ask heaven and earth. In the remaining yard, only the ‘jikatabi’ mark remained.

◇ Incident summary: At around 6 a.m. on August 7, the independence group stopped its attempt to attack the Hwachang-myeon police station, located about 25 ri away from the village, and about 25 people went up to Sinheung-dong and ate at the villagers’ homes. . Early in the morning the next day, Japanese police stormed into the village, surrounded the six affected households, and began questioning them about whether the independence group had ever cooked a meal there. However, the villagers did not confess because they were afraid that if they told the truth, they would be destroyed. The police used this as an excuse to begin a terrible torture. In the end, the villagers could not bear the torture and confessed to what the independence group had cooked and eaten. As a result, the police released them all at once on the 9th and the residents returned home. However, on the night of the 11th, the residents suddenly suffered such a disaster.

◇ Damage situation:

Kim Eung-chae’s house – 8 people burned to death. Eight family members, including Kim Eung-chae, his wife, his three sons, his second son’s wife, and his two-year-old grandson, died in the fire.

Jeon Myeong-gil’s house – Two people burned to death, and Jeon Myeong-gil and his father went missing.

Lee Chang-seop’s house – Four people, including Lee Chang-seop and his wife and son, died.

Choi Eung-gyu’s house – 6 people died. Choi Eung-gyu, his wife, his parents, son, and mother-in-law died, and only his employee Choi Heung-ju and his son barely survived.

Song Ji-hang’s house – 4 people died. Song Ji-hang’s wife and son-in-law died, and only Song Ji-hang and his daughter survived.

Kim Chang-seong’s house – 4 people died. Kim Chang-seong, his daughter, eldest son, and employees died. Six houses were completely destroyed, and all livestock and crops were also burned, causing material damage amounting to thousands of won.

◇ After the incident: After the fire broke out, the village residents were filled with anxiety and fear, fearing that disaster would come to them at every moment. Residents fled to Nambu Women’s University or hid in the mountains, and the village turned into a ghost town. The remaining bodies were temporarily buried in a nearby cemetery, and police began investigating the incident a few days later. But it was already too late.

◇ Survivor story: Choi Heung-ju described the terrible disaster he and his family suffered that night. It is said that armed troops came, bound the family, locked them in a room, and set it on fire. Although he managed to escape, his son survived being shot in the stomach with his intestines expelled.

The newspaper follows the lengthy article outlining the events with another article. The title is “Who is the cruel devil?” He concludes by leaving the judgment on the culprit to heaven and the readers.

We tried our best to find out the scene of the incident and who was responsible for it, but the people there were so shocked that they would run away whenever they saw people, and even if they were newspaper employees, they always seemed suspicious, not knowing whether they were members of the independence group or police officers, so it was clear what kind of people they were. From “That night, because the fire was so hot, I thought something had happened, but I couldn’t go there because it was too dangerous. When I went the next morning, I couldn’t see anyone and the fire was still burning. Occasionally, “Jika Dabi” (Japanese) would be seen at the victim’s doorstep. There are some people who say, “The seat is just a mess,” and judging by the way they are whispering among themselves, it is clear who did such a terrible thing, but in this place where killing people is like drinking water, there is no need to investigate in detail. There was no way to do it.

● Today, I introduced a photo of a somewhat complicated incident. Although it looks like an ordinary family photo, it is meaningful in that it shows a moment in history. I wondered if photography in Korea began recording not only the beauty of the world but also its tragedies around the 1920s.

Last week’s 100th Anniversary Photo No. 79 “Why did a 26-year-old Japanese young man shoot Crown Prince Hirohito?” Some readers criticized the post, asking why the expression “crown prince” was used. It’s not that I didn’t worry about it as a writer, but I thought it would be a faithful historical examination of the record to use the same expressions in newspapers from 100 years ago, but only change the spacing and pronunciation rules. I hope this helps you understand. Still, quite a few people read it and expressed sympathy. I hope you think again about why the newspaper covered that article 100 years ago. Rather than expressing respect, perhaps they wanted to convey that the Emperor’s son may be an object of anger even within Japan? No matter how cultural politics may be, considering the harshness of the colonial era, it would not have been an easy article placement. The most famous photo from the Dong-A Ilbo during the Japanese colonial era is probably the one that appears in the incident where Berlin Olympic gold medalist Son Ki-jeong erased the Japanese flag from his chest and reprinted it in the newspaper. However, the Son Ki-jeong incident of erasing the Japanese flag may not be the only legacy left behind by reporters at that time. I think it includes records that seem ordinary, like the photos we looked at with you today, but were ‘barely’ left after great courage and agony amidst political difficulties. I hope there are lighter photos in next week’s newspaper from 100 years ago. See you next Saturday.

2024-09-29 00:32:37