Gu Ja-ok (具滋玉, Japanese name: 具家滋玉 (**Kutsuie Chidama**), 30 March 1887 – November 1950) was a Korean politician. He served as Governor of Gyeonggi Province during the US Army Military Government in Korea. He was from the Neungseong (綾城) Gu clan and was born in Gwangju County, Gyeonggi Province.
Born~Died Mar 30, 1887 ~ Nov 1950Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 2:51 PM
Details
Born ~ Died
Mar 30, 1887 ~ Nov 1950
Term
16 August 1945 – 12 September 1945
Governor-General
John R. Hodge (Commander, US Army Forces in Korea, South Korean Interim Government)
Minister
John R. Hodge (Military Governor, US Army Military Government in Korea)
Other names
Pen name Neungju (綾州); Japanese name: Kutsuie Chidama (具家滋玉)
Gu Ja-ok (具滋玉, Japanese name: 具家滋玉 (Kutsuie Chidama), 30 March 1887 – November 1950) was a Korean politician. He served as Governor of Gyeonggi Province during the US Army Military Government in Korea. He was from the Neungseong (綾城) Gu clan and was born in Gwangju County, Gyeonggi Province.
As a Christian youth movement activist and educator, he became a secretary of the Korean Central Christian Youth Association (朝鮮中央基督敎靑年會) in 1917. He was active for a long time in the Korean Central YMCA (YMCA), took part in various social activities, and joined the March 1st Movement, the Cheonggu Club (청구구락부), and the Suyang Dongwuhoe, and he also took part in the organization of the Heungeop Club. Apart from his activities in the Methodist Church, he took part in the independence movement, but after the Heungeop Club incident of 1938 he was placed under protective supervision at the Daehwasuk and converted to pro-Japanese collaboration.
Immediately after Japan's defeat in 1945, he took part in the reconstruction of the YMCA Christian Youth Association and was elected general secretary of the Korean Central Christian Youth Association. On 2 September of that year, he was involved in the founding of the Korea Democratic Party. Immediately after liberation and under the US Army Military Government, he served as Governor of Gyeonggi Province. After the establishment of the government in 1948, he was again appointed and assigned as Governor of Gyeonggi Province by the government on 13 January 1949.1 During the Korean War, he was abducted to North Korea.
Life
Early activities
He was born in Gwangju County, Gyeonggi Province, and his registered family seat was Cheongjin-dong, Jung-bu, Hanseong-bu (now Cheongjin-dong, Jongno-gu, ). However, he lived in Pilun-dong. During the , he was a well-known figure who was active in social affairs as a believer. Because his year of birth is uncertain, there are theories that he was born in 1889 or 1890, and besides the theory that his birthday was 30 March, there is a theory that he was born on 20 March.
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His elder brothers were Gu Ja-rok and Gu Ja-hyeok, the representative of Changmunsa. Of these, Gu Ja-hyeok was the father of the painter Gu Bon-ung. The painter Gu Bon-ung was the son of Gu Ja-hyeok's first wife, Lady Kim of Sangsan, and Gu Bon-ung was close to Yi Sang. The wife of Yi Sang was Byeon Dong-rim, the half-younger sister of Byeon Dong-suk, the second wife of Gu Ja-hyeok.
As a child, he entered the Hanseong Government English School. While attending the Hanseong Government English School, he became a Methodist believer, and after 1910 he took part in the Korean Central YMCA. In March 1909 (the 3rd year of Yunghui), after graduating from the Hanseong Government English School, he advanced to the Methodist Hyeopseong Theological Seminary (監理敎協成神學校). However, he dropped out, went to Japan, studied in Tokyo, and enrolled at Waseda University (早稻田大學), but he also dropped out there and returned home.
At one point he entered and completed the surveying department of the Temporary Land Survey Bureau Technician Training Institute (臨時土地調査局技術員養成所). Afterward, he went back to Japan and enrolled in the theology department of Aoyama Gakuin in Tokyo (靑山學院 神學部), but he again dropped out and returned home. He studied at the Methodist Hyeopseong Theological Seminary.
Independence and social movements
Independence movement and Christian faith organizations
In 1917 he became a secretary of the Korean Central Christian Youth Association (朝鮮中央基督敎靑年會) Department of Christian Education. In 1919 he took part in the March 1st Movement, was arrested by the Government-General of Korea police, and was imprisoned at Seodaemun Prison, but he was released for lack of evidence. He served as dean of studies (學監) at Joongang School, and afterward he represented the Methodist Church in the Seoul Christian Youth Association, was immediately elected general secretary of the Seoul Christian Youth Association, and served as secretary of the Department of Christian Education of the Korean Central Christian Youth Association Federation, devoting himself to the Christian youth movement.
In addition, from 13 July to August 1920, he became the master of ceremonies for the touring concerts of a Black American Christian choir,2 and afterward he was invited as master of ceremonies to events related to American and Presbyterian, Methodist and other Christian organizations.
In February 1920, together with Hyeon Cheol (玄哲) and others, he took part in establishing the Performing Arts Training Institute (演藝講習所) in Gyeongseong (Seoul).
In June 1920, together with Yun Chi-ho, Kim Sung-soo, Han Gi-ak (韓基岳), Cho Man-sik, Jang Deok-su, Ahn Jae-hong, Lee Gap-seong, Song Jin-woo and others, he participated in the founding of the Preparatory Committee for the National University Movement (民立大學期成會). He sought to organize the National University Association and establish a university with Korean private capital, but it failed because the Education Bureau of the Government-General of Korea did not grant permission. In July of that year he visited JapanTokyo and then returned home. In September 1920 he became a member of the Korean Christian Youth Association Federation committee. In 1921 he went to study in the United States, enrolled at George Williams College in Chicago, and studied there until 1923. He completed his studies at George Williams College in Chicago and returned home on 18 February 1923.
In March 1922 he was elected deputy general secretary of the Seoul Christian Youth Association. In December of that year he joined the support association for the aviator Ahn Chang-nam and was appointed representative of the support association, organizing the welcome-home reception and support activities for Ahn Chang-nam. In June 1923 he arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, via Yokohama, and between June and July of that year he took part in and led the departure, entry, and exit process of the student visiting delegation from the Korean Community Association in Hawaii on their visit to the homeland.
On the afternoon of 9 August 1923, at the Minu Hall in Seodaemun-jeong, Gyeongseong, he participated in the founding of the Flood Relief Association, organized by 18 social organizations, including the Joseon Youth Association Federation, the Buddhist General Affairs Office, the Korean Central Christian Youth Association, and Gaebyeok-sa, and student representatives from schools such as Paichai Higher School, Bosung College, Yangjeong Higher School, and Bosung Higher School. Together with Song Jin-woo, Yi Jong-rin, Park Seung-bin and others, he was appointed as one of the executive members of the Flood Relief Association.3 On 13 September 1924, he took part, together with Kim Byeong-ro, Yi Jong-rin, Yi Sang-jae, Baek Gwan-su, Kim Yak-su, Kim Chul-su, Yi Yeong, Yi In and others, in the Joseon Famine Relief Association (饑饉救濟會) of Yi Seung-hun, and together with Yi Sang-jae, Yi Jong-rin and others, he was elected as a member of the finance department.4
On 23 March 1925 he took part in the founding of the Heungeop Club. The Heungeop Club was organized by Christian leaders in Gyeongseong and Gyeonggi Province, including Yi Sang-jae, Yun Chi-ho, Sin Heung-u, Lee Gap-seong and Yu Eok-gyeom, following the line of Syngman Rhee,5 and Park Dong-wan, Ahn Jae-hong and others also took part. Centered on the Korean Christian Youth Association Federation and Methodist Church churches, it carried out a moderate nationalist movement, and most of its members, except Yi Sang-jae, who died early in 1927, defected at various times before liberation. On 15 December 1924, Sin Heung-u, who returned home, planned an organization in the Central YMCA Christian Youth Association led by Seo Ung, and afterward he also took part in the founding of the organization. In January 1926 he also took part in the founding of the Suyang Dongwuhoe. He afterward worked as one of the Methodist representatives of the Korean Christian Youth Association Federation, and he took part in the fundraising movement to preserve the Yi Sun-sin general's burial land, which was in danger of being sold, the Vnarod Movement, and rural enlightenment activities.
Imprisonment and trials
In the 1930s he went to America again, completed a six-month English course at the Chicago YMCA College (시카고基督敎靑年會專門學校), studied for several years at the Massachusetts Christian Youth Association, was awarded a master's degree in theology, returned home, and was active in the Heungeop Club. Afterward he served as a secretary of the Central Christian Youth Association (Y.M.C.A) and dean of studies at Joongang School.
On 15 February 1935, he was elected as a candidate for general secretary by a vote of the members of the Central Christian Youth Association, and in the final runoff against Baek Nam-hun and Paik Nak-chun, he was elected general secretary of the Central Christian Youth Association by a vote of 6 to 5.6
In the late 1930s, he also joined and was active in the Heungeop Club, an independence movement organization over which Syngman Rhee exerted influence. Afterward, at the request of Syngman Rhee, who was residing in the United States, he raised tens of thousands of won by collecting donations for activity funds and military funds to be sent to the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai, and remitted them to the United States and Shanghai. However, according to the testimony of Yun Chi-yeong, who was detained at the Seodaemun Police Station, and a report from the chief of the Seodaemun Police Station dated 18 May 1938, he was reported as one of the comrades of the Heungeop Club.78 Afterward, he was brought to trial in separate cases, including the Suyang Dongwuhoe incident, the Cheonggu Club incident, and the Heungeop Club incident.
In the third trial related to the Suyang Dongwuhoe, up to January 1938, he received a not guilty verdict on the charge of violating the Public Security Maintenance Act, and on 15 August he received a final not guilty ruling at the Gyeongseong High Court of Appeals. In May he was elected a member of the Korean Christian Federation Committee. On 22 May 1938, together with Ahn Jae-hong, executive members of the Heungeop Club and more than 60 others, more than 100 people in total were indicted in connection with the Heungeop Club, and after being arrested by the Seodaemun Police Station, he was imprisoned at Seodaemun Prison. Afterward, he was additionally indicted at the Gyeongseong High Court. The Police Affairs Bureau of the Government-General indicted 52 people, including Gu Ja-ok, for violating the Public Security Maintenance Act. In September 1938, he and several others, including Sin Heung-u, Jeong Chun-su and Yu Eok-gyeom, signed letters of conversion and were released. However, the trials continued. In 1941, due to insufficient evidence, he received a final not guilty ruling at the Gyeongseong High Court of Appeals and was released on parole.
Pacific War period
Following the Heungeop Club incident of 1938, Gu Ja-ok was placed under protective supervision at the Daehwasuk, and in 1941 he converted, took part in the Hwangdo Academy, and in 1944 he contributed an editorial titled "Victory Is God's Command" (必勝은 神의 命令) to the Maeil Sinbo, explaining the justification of the Pacific War and urging war support, engaging in pro-Japanese activities.9 He also joined pro-Japanese organizations such as the Imjeon Daechaek Hyeobuihoe and the Gyeongseong Jeongdong Federation.10
From April to May 1940, he departed from Gyeongseong Station by train to attend an event of the Joseon and Manchuria Christian Youth Association Federation, visited Manchuria, and returned.11 From 18 to 20 July 1940, he departed Gyeongseong by train to attend the 18th General Assembly of the Japan Christian Youth Association, and went to Tokyo by ship.12
At the time of the name change policy in 1940, at the end of that year he changed his name to Kutsuie Chidama.13 However, he did not attend, avoided, or was absent on the grounds of illness from various events hosted by the Government-General of Korea or various pro-Japanese government-affiliated organizations, and immediately after liberation, when US forces stationed in Korea identified pro-Japanese figures, he was not named as a pro-Japanese figure. Afterward, he once made a visit to the United States for faith activities, and he also served as principal of Yeongchang Middle School (英彰中學校) in Gyeongseong.
Immediately after liberation, regardless of his will, on 15 August 1945, when the Japanese Ikuta Seizaburō resigned from his post, he suddenly became acting Governor of Gyeonggi Province, took over the duties from Ikuta Seizaburō, and restored order and public security. At the same time, when the Christian youth association, which had been effectively nullified by the Pacific War in Gyeongseong, was rebuilt, he became a member of the Korean Central Christian Youth Association Federation (predecessor of the Korean Christian Youth Association (YMCA)), and soon afterward he was elected general secretary of the Central Christian Youth Association. On 16 August, he was asked by Ahn Jae-hong and others to take part in the Committee for the Preparation of Korean Independence, but he refused and joined Song Jin-woo's Preparatory Committee for the National Rally.
From November 1945 onward, he attended the welcoming reception for the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, which returned home after liberation, and took part in the movement to support the Provisional Government. He was in charge of contacts with Kim Kyu-sik and others from the same Christian circles.
On 17 February 1946, he was elected Governor of Gyeonggi Province by the Gyeonggi Province Advisory Council members of the US Army Military Government,15 and under the US Army Military Government he again became Governor of Gyeonggi Province.
Tenure as Governor of Gyeonggi Province and final period
After the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 while he was serving as Governor of Gyeonggi Province, he was taken to North Korea from Seoul by the Korean People's Army.18 In the early stages of the war, unable to escape, he stayed at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office in Gwanghwamun, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and was then abducted by four or five members of the political security unit of the Korean People's Army. His translated work Modern Biblical Interpretation (1934) and others exist.
He was at the National Library of Korea, and was repatriated to North Korea by members of the political security unit. His son Gu Bon-jun, who accompanied his abducted father, succeeded in escaping midway. There is testimony that in November 1950 he died near Gangge on the journey north.
Posthumous
His grave and cenotaph are both unknown. His son Gu Bon-jun, who succeeded in escaping during the Korean War, joined the Gyeongmudae of the Syngman Rhee government and worked there, serving as spokesperson of the Gyeongmudae.
His book Modern Biblical Interpretation, published in 1934, was republished by Yonsei University in June 1990.
Ahn Cheol-hyeon, Upgrade Lecture: Modern Korean Political History (New People, 2009)
Jeong Byeong-jun, A Study of Syngman Rhee (Yeoksa Bipyeongsa, 2005)
Notes
Footnotes
"京畿道知事에 具滋玉氏發令", Hansung Ilbo (漢城日報), 13 January 1949, p. 2, column 6 ↩
"朝鮮初有의 米國 黑人의 聲樂會", Dong-a Ilbo, 1 August 1920, p. 3, social section ↩
"十八團體가 모혀서 水害救濟會發起", Dong-a Ilbo, 11 August 1923, p. 3, social section ↩
"饑饉救濟會의 實行方針 決定", Dong-a Ilbo, 2 October 1924, p. 2, social section ↩
Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities (1 February 1993). "유성준 유만겸 유억겸 : 유길준의 양면성 '극복'한 유씨 일가의 친일상 (김도형)". Pro-Japanese Collaborators 99 1. Seoul: Dolbegae. ISBN 978-89-7199-011-7. ↩
"基靑總務에 具滋玉氏被選", Dong-a Ilbo, 16 February 1935, p. 2, social section ↩
A Study of Syngman Rhee (Jeong Byeong-jun, Yeoksa Bipyeongsa, 2005), p. 365 ↩
Yun Chi-yeong, Dongsan Memoirs: The 20th Century of Yun Chi-yeong (Samsung Publishing, 1991), pp. 130–133 ↩
Gu Ja-ok (具滋玉, Japanese name: 具家滋玉 (Kutsuie Chidama), 30 March 1887 – November 1950) was a Korean politician. He served as Governor of Gyeonggi Province during the US Army Military Government in Korea. He was from the Neungseong (綾城) Gu clan and was born in Gwangju County, Gyeonggi Province.
As a Christian youth movement activist and educator, he became a secretary of the Korean Central Christian Youth Association (朝鮮中央基督敎靑年會) in 1917. He was active for a long time in the Korean Central YMCA (YMCA), took part in various social activities, and joined the March 1st Movement, the Cheonggu Club (청구구락부), and the Suyang Dongwuhoe, and he also took part in the organization of the Heungeop Club. Apart from his activities in the Methodist Church, he took part in the independence movement, but after the Heungeop Club incident of 1938 he was placed under protective supervision at the Daehwasuk and converted to pro-Japanese collaboration.
Immediately after Japan's defeat in 1945, he took part in the reconstruction of the YMCA Christian Youth Association and was elected general secretary of the Korean Central Christian Youth Association. On 2 September of that year, he was involved in the founding of the Korea Democratic Party. Immediately after liberation and under the US Army Military Government, he served as Governor of Gyeonggi Province. After the establishment of the government in 1948, he was again appointed and assigned as Governor of Gyeonggi Province by the government on 13 January 1949.1 During the Korean War, he was abducted to North Korea.
Life
Early activities
He was born in Gwangju County, , and his registered family seat was Cheongjin-dong, Jung-bu, (now Cheongjin-dong, Jongno-gu, ). However, he lived in Pilun-dong. During the , he was a well-known figure who was active in social affairs as a believer. Because his year of birth is uncertain, there are theories that he was born in 1889 or 1890, and besides the theory that his birthday was 30 March, there is a theory that he was born on 20 March.
His elder brothers were Gu Ja-rok and Gu Ja-hyeok, the representative of Changmunsa. Of these, Gu Ja-hyeok was the father of the painter Gu Bon-ung. The painter Gu Bon-ung was the son of Gu Ja-hyeok's first wife, Lady Kim of Sangsan, and Gu Bon-ung was close to Yi Sang. The wife of Yi Sang was Byeon Dong-rim, the half-younger sister of Byeon Dong-suk, the second wife of Gu Ja-hyeok.
As a child, he entered the Hanseong Government English School. While attending the Hanseong Government English School, he became a Methodist believer, and after 1910 he took part in the Korean Central YMCA. In March 1909 (the 3rd year of Yunghui), after graduating from the Hanseong Government English School, he advanced to the Methodist Hyeopseong Theological Seminary (監理敎協成神學校). However, he dropped out, went to Japan, studied in Tokyo, and enrolled at Waseda University (早稻田大學), but he also dropped out there and returned home.
At one point he entered and completed the surveying department of the Temporary Land Survey Bureau Technician Training Institute (臨時土地調査局技術員養成所). Afterward, he went back to Japan and enrolled in the theology department of Aoyama Gakuin in Tokyo (靑山學院 神學部), but he again dropped out and returned home. He studied at the Methodist Hyeopseong Theological Seminary.
Independence and social movements
Independence movement and Christian faith organizations
In 1917 he became a secretary of the Korean Central Christian Youth Association (朝鮮中央基督敎靑年會) Department of Christian Education. In 1919 he took part in the March 1st Movement, was arrested by the Government-General of Korea police, and was imprisoned at Seodaemun Prison, but he was released for lack of evidence. He served as dean of studies (學監) at Joongang School, and afterward he represented the Methodist Church in the Seoul Christian Youth Association, was immediately elected general secretary of the Seoul Christian Youth Association, and served as secretary of the Department of Christian Education of the Korean Central Christian Youth Association Federation, devoting himself to the Christian youth movement.
In addition, from 13 July to August 1920, he became the master of ceremonies for the touring concerts of a Black American Christian choir,2 and afterward he was invited as master of ceremonies to events related to American and Presbyterian, Methodist and other Christian organizations.
In February 1920, together with Hyeon Cheol (玄哲) and others, he took part in establishing the Performing Arts Training Institute (演藝講習所) in Gyeongseong (Seoul).
In June 1920, together with Yun Chi-ho, Kim Sung-soo, Han Gi-ak (韓基岳), Cho Man-sik, Jang Deok-su, Ahn Jae-hong, Lee Gap-seong, Song Jin-woo and others, he participated in the founding of the Preparatory Committee for the National University Movement (民立大學期成會). He sought to organize the National University Association and establish a university with Korean private capital, but it failed because the Education Bureau of the Government-General of Korea did not grant permission. In July of that year he visited JapanTokyo and then returned home. In September 1920 he became a member of the Korean Christian Youth Association Federation committee. In 1921 he went to study in the United States, enrolled at George Williams College in Chicago, and studied there until 1923. He completed his studies at George Williams College in Chicago and returned home on 18 February 1923.
In March 1922 he was elected deputy general secretary of the Seoul Christian Youth Association. In December of that year he joined the support association for the aviator Ahn Chang-nam and was appointed representative of the support association, organizing the welcome-home reception and support activities for Ahn Chang-nam. In June 1923 he arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, via Yokohama, and between June and July of that year he took part in and led the departure, entry, and exit process of the student visiting delegation from the Korean Community Association in Hawaii on their visit to the homeland.
On the afternoon of 9 August 1923, at the Minu Hall in Seodaemun-jeong, Gyeongseong, he participated in the founding of the Flood Relief Association, organized by 18 social organizations, including the Joseon Youth Association Federation, the Buddhist General Affairs Office, the Korean Central Christian Youth Association, and Gaebyeok-sa, and student representatives from schools such as Paichai Higher School, Bosung College, Yangjeong Higher School, and Bosung Higher School. Together with Song Jin-woo, Yi Jong-rin, Park Seung-bin and others, he was appointed as one of the executive members of the Flood Relief Association.3 On 13 September 1924, he took part, together with Kim Byeong-ro, Yi Jong-rin, Yi Sang-jae, Baek Gwan-su, Kim Yak-su, Kim Chul-su, Yi Yeong, Yi In and others, in the Joseon Famine Relief Association (饑饉救濟會) of Yi Seung-hun, and together with Yi Sang-jae, Yi Jong-rin and others, he was elected as a member of the finance department.4
On 23 March 1925 he took part in the founding of the Heungeop Club. The Heungeop Club was organized by Christian leaders in Gyeongseong and Gyeonggi Province, including Yi Sang-jae, Yun Chi-ho, Sin Heung-u, Lee Gap-seong and Yu Eok-gyeom, following the line of Syngman Rhee,5 and Park Dong-wan, Ahn Jae-hong and others also took part. Centered on the Korean Christian Youth Association Federation and Methodist Church churches, it carried out a moderate nationalist movement, and most of its members, except Yi Sang-jae, who died early in 1927, defected at various times before liberation. On 15 December 1924, Sin Heung-u, who returned home, planned an organization in the Central YMCA Christian Youth Association led by Seo Ung, and afterward he also took part in the founding of the organization. In January 1926 he also took part in the founding of the Suyang Dongwuhoe. He afterward worked as one of the Methodist representatives of the Korean Christian Youth Association Federation, and he took part in the fundraising movement to preserve the Yi Sun-sin general's burial land, which was in danger of being sold, the Vnarod Movement, and rural enlightenment activities.
Imprisonment and trials
In the 1930s he went to America again, completed a six-month English course at the Chicago YMCA College (시카고基督敎靑年會專門學校), studied for several years at the Massachusetts Christian Youth Association, was awarded a master's degree in theology, returned home, and was active in the Heungeop Club. Afterward he served as a secretary of the Central Christian Youth Association (Y.M.C.A) and dean of studies at Joongang School.
On 15 February 1935, he was elected as a candidate for general secretary by a vote of the members of the Central Christian Youth Association, and in the final runoff against Baek Nam-hun and Paik Nak-chun, he was elected general secretary of the Central Christian Youth Association by a vote of 6 to 5.6
In the late 1930s, he also joined and was active in the Heungeop Club, an independence movement organization over which Syngman Rhee exerted influence. Afterward, at the request of Syngman Rhee, who was residing in the United States, he raised tens of thousands of won by collecting donations for activity funds and military funds to be sent to the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai, and remitted them to the United States and Shanghai. However, according to the testimony of Yun Chi-yeong, who was detained at the Seodaemun Police Station, and a report from the chief of the Seodaemun Police Station dated 18 May 1938, he was reported as one of the comrades of the Heungeop Club.78 Afterward, he was brought to trial in separate cases, including the Suyang Dongwuhoe incident, the Cheonggu Club incident, and the Heungeop Club incident.
In the third trial related to the Suyang Dongwuhoe, up to January 1938, he received a not guilty verdict on the charge of violating the Public Security Maintenance Act, and on 15 August he received a final not guilty ruling at the Gyeongseong High Court of Appeals. In May he was elected a member of the Korean Christian Federation Committee. On 22 May 1938, together with Ahn Jae-hong, executive members of the Heungeop Club and more than 60 others, more than 100 people in total were indicted in connection with the Heungeop Club, and after being arrested by the Seodaemun Police Station, he was imprisoned at Seodaemun Prison. Afterward, he was additionally indicted at the Gyeongseong High Court. The Police Affairs Bureau of the Government-General indicted 52 people, including Gu Ja-ok, for violating the Public Security Maintenance Act. In September 1938, he and several others, including Sin Heung-u, Jeong Chun-su and Yu Eok-gyeom, signed letters of conversion and were released. However, the trials continued. In 1941, due to insufficient evidence, he received a final not guilty ruling at the Gyeongseong High Court of Appeals and was released on parole.
Pacific War period
Following the Heungeop Club incident of 1938, Gu Ja-ok was placed under protective supervision at the Daehwasuk, and in 1941 he converted, took part in the Hwangdo Academy, and in 1944 he contributed an editorial titled "Victory Is God's Command" (必勝은 神의 命令) to the Maeil Sinbo, explaining the justification of the Pacific War and urging war support, engaging in pro-Japanese activities.9 He also joined pro-Japanese organizations such as the Imjeon Daechaek Hyeobuihoe and the Gyeongseong Jeongdong Federation.10
From April to May 1940, he departed from Gyeongseong Station by train to attend an event of the Joseon and Manchuria Christian Youth Association Federation, visited Manchuria, and returned.11 From 18 to 20 July 1940, he departed Gyeongseong by train to attend the 18th General Assembly of the Japan Christian Youth Association, and went to Tokyo by ship.12
At the time of the name change policy in 1940, at the end of that year he changed his name to Kutsuie Chidama.13 However, he did not attend, avoided, or was absent on the grounds of illness from various events hosted by the Government-General of Korea or various pro-Japanese government-affiliated organizations, and immediately after liberation, when US forces stationed in Korea identified pro-Japanese figures, he was not named as a pro-Japanese figure. Afterward, he once made a visit to the United States for faith activities, and he also served as principal of Yeongchang Middle School (英彰中學校) in Gyeongseong.
Immediately after liberation, regardless of his will, on 15 August 1945, when the Japanese Ikuta Seizaburō resigned from his post, he suddenly became acting Governor of Gyeonggi Province, took over the duties from Ikuta Seizaburō, and restored order and public security. At the same time, when the Christian youth association, which had been effectively nullified by the Pacific War in Gyeongseong, was rebuilt, he became a member of the Korean Central Christian Youth Association Federation (predecessor of the Korean Christian Youth Association (YMCA)), and soon afterward he was elected general secretary of the Central Christian Youth Association. On 16 August, he was asked by Ahn Jae-hong and others to take part in the Committee for the Preparation of Korean Independence, but he refused and joined Song Jin-woo's Preparatory Committee for the National Rally.
From November 1945 onward, he attended the welcoming reception for the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, which returned home after liberation, and took part in the movement to support the Provisional Government. He was in charge of contacts with Kim Kyu-sik and others from the same Christian circles.
On 17 February 1946, he was elected Governor of Gyeonggi Province by the Gyeonggi Province Advisory Council members of the US Army Military Government,15 and under the US Army Military Government he again became Governor of Gyeonggi Province.
Tenure as Governor of Gyeonggi Province and final period
After the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 while he was serving as Governor of Gyeonggi Province, he was taken to North Korea from Seoul by the Korean People's Army.18 In the early stages of the war, unable to escape, he stayed at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office in Gwanghwamun, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and was then abducted by four or five members of the political security unit of the Korean People's Army. His translated work Modern Biblical Interpretation (1934) and others exist.
He was at the National Library of Korea, and was repatriated to North Korea by members of the political security unit. His son Gu Bon-jun, who accompanied his abducted father, succeeded in escaping midway. There is testimony that in November 1950 he died near Gangge on the journey north.
Posthumous
His grave and cenotaph are both unknown. His son Gu Bon-jun, who succeeded in escaping during the Korean War, joined the Gyeongmudae of the Syngman Rhee government and worked there, serving as spokesperson of the Gyeongmudae.
His book Modern Biblical Interpretation, published in 1934, was republished by Yonsei University in June 1990.
Ahn Cheol-hyeon, Upgrade Lecture: Modern Korean Political History (New People, 2009)
Jeong Byeong-jun, A Study of Syngman Rhee (Yeoksa Bipyeongsa, 2005)
Notes
Footnotes
"京畿道知事에 具滋玉氏發令", Hansung Ilbo (漢城日報), 13 January 1949, p. 2, column 6 ↩
"朝鮮初有의 米國 黑人의 聲樂會", Dong-a Ilbo, 1 August 1920, p. 3, social section ↩
"十八團體가 모혀서 水害救濟會發起", Dong-a Ilbo, 11 August 1923, p. 3, social section ↩
"饑饉救濟會의 實行方針 決定", Dong-a Ilbo, 2 October 1924, p. 2, social section ↩
Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities (1 February 1993). "유성준 유만겸 유억겸 : 유길준의 양면성 '극복'한 유씨 일가의 친일상 (김도형)". Pro-Japanese Collaborators 99 1. Seoul: Dolbegae. ISBN 978-89-7199-011-7. ↩
"基靑總務에 具滋玉氏被選", Dong-a Ilbo, 16 February 1935, p. 2, social section ↩
A Study of Syngman Rhee (Jeong Byeong-jun, Yeoksa Bipyeongsa, 2005), p. 365 ↩
Yun Chi-yeong, Dongsan Memoirs: The 20th Century of Yun Chi-yeong (Samsung Publishing, 1991), pp. 130–133 ↩