KPC3464: The 100th Anniversary of the Victory at the Battle of Cheongsanri

It has been 100 years since the Battle of Cheongsanri, which gave Koreans a great victory in the midst of the period of Japanese colonial rule. Honoring the centennial anniversary of the victory in the largest battle engaged by the Korean Independence Army against the Japanese Army, Korea Post is issuing the commemorative stamp 100th Anniversary of the Victory at the Battle of Cheongsanri.

After the March 1st Movement in 1919, the Korean Independence Army carried out more active activities around the border near the Dumangang River and Amnokgang River. In particular, the Korean Independence Army executed its entry operations to Korea starting in the second half of 1919. In 1920, it organized “Daehan Bungno Dokgunbu” to support the provisional government of the Republic of Korea and group the Korean Independence Army located in Bukgando into a single unit. Soon, the unit won the Battle of Bongodong against the Japanese Army on June 7, 1920. After losing the Battle of Bongodong, Japan not only made a diplomatic effort by putting pressure on the warlords of Manchuria but also a plan for the mobilization of large military forces to suppress the Korean Independence Army. In September, it plotted a raid where Chinese bandits attacked the Japanese consulate in Hunchun, which justified its mobilization of an army to Manchuria, a territory of China. The Korean Independence Army prepared a countermeasure to leave Bukgando and move to Baekdusan Mountain to avoid a frontal confrontation with the Japanese Army and build up the military power. It divided itself into “Bungno Gunjeongseogun” and “Hong Beom-do Combined Forces”. When the Japanese forces and cavalry pursued the Korean Independence Army headed for Baekdusan Mountain, the Korean Independence Army fought the Japanese Army while avoiding direct confrontation as much as possible. The first battle between the two armies was the Battle of Baegunpyeong, where Bungno Gunjeongseogun directed by Kim Jwa-jin won on October 21, 1920. On October 22, the Bungno Gunjeongseogun attacked the Japanese Army from both sides with the Combined Forces directed by Hong Beom-do at the Battle of Eorangchon, the largest battle among the battles that took place in Cheongsanri. From that point to the dawn on October 26, the Combined Forces led by General Hong Beom-do and Bungno Gunjeongseogun by General Kim Jwa-jin fought separately or together, accomplishing the splendid feat of winning more than 10 battles during six days and beefing up the military force. The Battle of Cheongsanri that took place for six days is recorded as the biggest victory and the largest battle in the history of the Korean independence movement.

The commemorative stamp for the 100th anniversary of the victory at the Battle of Cheongsanri comprises an article from Tongnip Sinmun (Vol. 88; Dec. 25, 1920), in which the information of the battle by the Korean Independence Army was reported, and the national documentary painting Battle of Cheongsanri by Kim Tae (1931-), a Western style painter and professor at the Seoul National University College of Art. With this commemorative stamp, we hope you remember the proud independence movement against the Japanese colonial rule by recalling the roars of the Korean Independence Army that resonated 100 years ago.