Yi In-jik

Yi In-jik (李人稙, 27 July 1862 in the lunar calendar – 1 November 1916) was a journalist and novelist of the Japanese colonial period. He was from Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, and his pen name was Gukcho (菊初). His family seat was Hansan.

Life

In 1900 he went to Japan to study, and for about three years he attended the Tokyo School of Political Science. When the Russo-Japanese War broke out in 1904, he was recruited as an interpreter for the Imperial Japanese Army. In 1906 he served as chief editor of the Kungmin Sinbo and the Man'se Bo. That same year he wrote the novel Tears of Blood, and in 1907 he became president of the Daehan Sinmun.

In 1908, while engaged in the new theater movement, he took over the national theater Hyeomnyulsa, converted it into the private theater Wongaksa (圓覺社), and staged Silver World (Eunse gye). On 4 August 1910, he went to Japan in place of Yi Wan-yong, who could not speak Japanese, and met Komatsu Midori (小松綠), head of the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the Residency-General, to negotiate the annexation of Korea.¹ Through Yi In-jik's mediation, Yi Wan-yong and Jo Jung-eung visited the Resident-General's residence on 16 August, and on 22 August the annexation treaty was signed.

While serving as sasong (司成) of the Gyeonghakwon, he was in charge of compiling the Gyeonghakwon Japji (經學院雜誌), which disseminated arguments supporting the Japanese annexation of Korea. He thus acted as a leading pro-Japanese figure in the circles. He also composed and presented a pro-Japanese congratulatory address when Emperor Taishō ascended the throne. When Yi In-jik died in November 1916, the Governor-General's Office granted a funeral allowance of 450 yen as a bonus for his merits in the annexation.