Ahn Doo-hee
Encyclopedia
Ahn Doo-hee (1917-23 October 1996) carried out the assassination
of nationalist Korean leader Kim Gu
on June 26, 1949. Officially, it is maintained that Ahn Doo-hee acted alone, although some have theorized that Ahn was part of a broader conspiracy
. The existence of a conspiracy, however, is not directly supported by verifiable evidence. Ahn died at the hands of a follower of Kim Gu in 1996.
For the assassination, Ahn was convicted and sentenced to a term of life in prison; however, shortly thereafter, his sentence was commuted to a term of 15-years by then newly-elected Korean president Syngman Rhee
. At his trial, Ahn maintained that he was solely responsible for the assassination.
At the outset of the Korean War
in 1950, Ahn was released from prison, having served only one year of his 15-year sentence. Upon his release, Ahn was re-instated as a military officer. After serving under Rhee during the Korean War, Ahn was discharged in 1953, having attained the rank
of colonel
. After Syngman Rhee fled Korea in response to the April Revolution
of 1960, Ahn went into hiding, living under an assumed name.
On April 13, 1992, Ahn's alleged confession
was published by Korean newspaper Dongah Ilbo. In the alleged confession, Ahn claimed that the assassination of Gu had been ordered by Kim Chang-ryong
, who served as the head of national security under the Rhee administration.
After many years of living as an exile in his native country, and having never served the remainder of his prison sentence, Ahn was assassinated by a follower of Kim Gu in October 1996. The weapon used to kill Ahn was a wooden club inscribed with the words, "Justice Stick". Ahn was 79-years old at the time.
In 2001, declassified United States military documents dating from 1949 revealed that Ahn had been an informant and, later, an agent, for the US Counter-intelligence Corps (US CIC) in Korea. Those documents also revealed that Ahn was a member of the extremist nationalist group known as the White Clothes Party ("baikyi-sa" in Korean
).
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of nationalist Korean leader Kim Gu
Kim Gu
Kim Gu , the sixth and later the last president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, was a Korean politician, educator, leader of Korean independence movement against the Japanese occupation of Korea that lasted from 1910 to 1945, and reunification activist who had struggled for...
on June 26, 1949. Officially, it is maintained that Ahn Doo-hee acted alone, although some have theorized that Ahn was part of a broader conspiracy
Cabal
A cabal is a group of people united in some close design together, usually to promote their private views and/or interests in a church, state, or other community, often by intrigue...
. The existence of a conspiracy, however, is not directly supported by verifiable evidence. Ahn died at the hands of a follower of Kim Gu in 1996.
For the assassination, Ahn was convicted and sentenced to a term of life in prison; however, shortly thereafter, his sentence was commuted to a term of 15-years by then newly-elected Korean president Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee or Yi Seungman was the first president of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere. Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strongman, and he led South Korea through the...
. At his trial, Ahn maintained that he was solely responsible for the assassination.
At the outset of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in 1950, Ahn was released from prison, having served only one year of his 15-year sentence. Upon his release, Ahn was re-instated as a military officer. After serving under Rhee during the Korean War, Ahn was discharged in 1953, having attained the rank
Military rank
Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...
of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. After Syngman Rhee fled Korea in response to the April Revolution
April Revolution
The April Revolution, sometimes called the April 19 Revolution or April 19 Movement, was a popular uprising in April 1960, led by labor and student groups, which overthrew the autocratic First Republic of South Korea under Syngman Rhee. It led to the peaceful resignation of Rhee and the transition...
of 1960, Ahn went into hiding, living under an assumed name.
On April 13, 1992, Ahn's alleged confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
was published by Korean newspaper Dongah Ilbo. In the alleged confession, Ahn claimed that the assassination of Gu had been ordered by Kim Chang-ryong
Kim Chang-ryong
Kim Chang-Ryong , was a high-ranking officer in the Republic of Korea Army, head of the Korean Counter-intelligence Corps, and Korean President Syngman Rhee's most trusted right hand man...
, who served as the head of national security under the Rhee administration.
After many years of living as an exile in his native country, and having never served the remainder of his prison sentence, Ahn was assassinated by a follower of Kim Gu in October 1996. The weapon used to kill Ahn was a wooden club inscribed with the words, "Justice Stick". Ahn was 79-years old at the time.
In 2001, declassified United States military documents dating from 1949 revealed that Ahn had been an informant and, later, an agent, for the US Counter-intelligence Corps (US CIC) in Korea. Those documents also revealed that Ahn was a member of the extremist nationalist group known as the White Clothes Party ("baikyi-sa" in Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
).