Full Name Park Jun-sik McCune–Reischauer Pak Yol Hangul 박열 Hangul 박준식 | Hanja 朴烈 Hanja 朴準植 Revised Romanization Bak Yeol Name Park Yeol | |
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Born February 3, 1902 ( 1902-02-03 ) Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korean Empire Died January 17, 1974, North Korea | ||
Park Yeol (February 3, 1902 – January 17, 1974, born Park Jun-sik) was a Korean anarchist and independence activist who was convicted of high treason in Japan for conspiring to attack the Imperial House of Japan.
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Biography
Park was born in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang, Korea. He attended highschool in Seoul but was forced to leave in 1919 due to his suspected participation in the March First Movement. After moving to Tokyo to continue his education he met other student activists, and formed his own anarchist group Futeisha (不逞社, "The Outlaws"). Its name satirized the way Koreans were referred to by the authorities as troublemakers. Futei senjin (不逞鮮人), or the unruly Korean. One notable member of the group was Fumiko Kaneko; the two subsequently became lovers.
Park was arrested without charge on September 2, 1923, the day after the Great Kantō earthquake. Two days later Kaneko was also detained by police. Based on thin evidence they were eventually charged with high treason for plotting a bomb attack upon the wedding of Crown Prince Hirohito. Both were convicted and sentenced to death on March 25, 1926, but their sentences were commuted to life imprisonment by the Emperor Shōwa. Kaneko died in prison on July 23, 1926, reportedly by suicide.
After 22 years in prison Park was released in October 1945. He returned to Korea in 1949. In 1950, Park was captured by the North Korean army.