Jeon Deok-won

Jeon Deok-won (全德元, November 18, 1871(1871-11-18) – October 8, 1940(1940-10-08)) was an independence activist of the Korean Empire. He was born in Yongcheon (龍川), North Pyongan Province.

Biography

Righteous Army activities

Born in Bukjung-myeon, Yongcheon County, Pyongan Province, as a descendant of Seoeol (secondary-line descendants), he became a disciple of the Righteous Army leader Yu In-seok (柳麟錫). When the Eulsa Treaty was forcibly concluded in 1905, he joined Choe Ik-hyeon (崔益鉉) and others at the Thirteen Provinces Confucian Association (十三道儒約所) in arguing for the treaty's invalidity. However, when this did not succeed, he gathered a righteous army and operated in the Gwanseo region. He was arrested in 1906 and in November of that year was sentenced to fifteen years of exile, which he served in Hwanghae (黃州).

Anti-Japanese struggle in Manchuria

After emigrating to Manchuria in 1912, he continued to pursue the independence war. Seizing the opportunity of the March 1st Movement in 1919 within Korea, he organized the Daehan Independence Corps (大韓獨立團) together with Park Jang-ho (朴長浩), Jo Maeng-seon (趙孟善), Kim Pyeong-sik (金平植) and others in Sanyuanpu (三源堡) of Youhe County, and served as head of its military affairs department, engaging in armed anti-Japanese activities. Meanwhile, when the Daehan Independence Corps split over the use of era names into the Giwon Independence Corps (紀元獨立團) and the Minguk Independence Corps (民國獨立團), he served as leader of the Giwon Independence Corps. He alone traveled back and forth to Pyongyang more than ten times, raising several hundred thousand won in military funds. In April 1920, when the second regular general assembly of the Korean Youth Association was held, he was invited as a guest and attended as a representative of the independence corps together with Yun Chang-seon (尹昌善), Yang Gi-ha (梁基瑕), Baek Jin-hae (白鎭海), Kim Yu-seong (金有聲) and others, encouraging the independence spirit. In 1922, when various independence movement organizations in Manchuria merged to form the (統軍府), he also raised military funds as its finance chief.