The National People's Government () was an organization of the Korean independence movement group and a self-governing autonomous prefecture in Manchuria that Korean refugees populated in April 1929.
At the end of 1920, various anti-Japanese groups and corps in Dongsamseong, which did not surrender to the Japanese army's Gando Massacre and recovered, carried out anti-Japanese warfare externally with their affiliated independence forces while actively developing mutual integration movements internally. As a result, in August 1922, the Korean Unification Government was formed in southern Manchuria. On this basis, by March 1925, the three organizations of the General Staff Headquarters (參議府), the Righteous Government (正義府), and the Korean People's Association in Manchuria, which had been active in disparate ways in North and South Manchuria, were integrated into Heunggyeong (新賓縣), Sinbin-Hyeon, Liaoning Province. The three divisions established in this way have a dual character: an administrative agency that enforces the autonomy of the Korean community, which is the basis of the independence movement in Northeast China, and a military government agency that is in charge of command, training, and operations of the independence army. The National People's Prefecture's headquarters was established in Xingyeong.
Background Around 1927, the three branches of Manchuria had their sphere of influence, and the Korean community was developing a movement for autonomy and independence. The coast of the Yalu River is under the jurisdiction of General Staff Headquarters, the area around Jilin and Bongcheon-province in southern Manchuria is under the jurisdiction of Righteous Government, and the area along the Jungdong Line in northern Manchuria is under the jurisdiction of the Korean People's Association in Manchuria. Although it was a government, the highest goal was the country's independence through the ‘war of independence theory.’ Meanwhile, to unite all the capabilities of the people in Manchuria necessary for the national independence movement and wage a more effective anti-Japanese war, even the complete integration of the three autonomous regions of Manchuria, which were established and active separately in North and South Manchuria, had to be achieved as soon as possible. Moreover, since the establishment of the three prefectures, the Japanese government had been taking advantage of the lethargy of the Republic of China and the pro-Japanese tendencies to more actively invade Manchuria while making every effort to suppress anti-Japanese Koreans, so the integration of the three autonomous regions was a more urgent task. It was then, influenced by the movement for a single national party that began to develop within China in July 1926, the integration of the three prefectures also began to be discussed.
Integration Meetings To unite all the capabilities of Koreans living in Manchuria necessary for the national independence movement and fight against Japanese imperialism, even the unification of the three divisions in North and South Manchuria had to be achieved as soon as possible. Moreover, since the establishment of the three branches, the Japanese imperialists had been taking advantage of the lethargy of the Chinese Nationalist government and the pro-Japanese tendencies of the Jangjakrim warlords in the eastern Samseong province to invade Manchuria while making every effort to oppress Koreans more actively. Hence, the unification of the three branches was an even more urgent issue.
First Integration Meeting Source:
As such, the unification of the three branches, which required cooperation from the beginning of the establishment of the three branches, was finally concreted by the following resolution of the 4th Central Committee of the Ministry of Justice in August 1927. We will actively promote union with the Shinminbu and Chamuibu to unify the Manchurian Movement. Prepare for the unification of the entire national movement.
The desire to form a single party as a method of unifying the three branches was a typical public opinion discussed among independence activists at home and abroad at the time, and the 'two parties' system was established as a single ideology due to the influence of various trends that prevailed after World War I. It was intended to achieve the purpose of independence as a method of 'maneuvering.' This One-Party Movement began in earnest with the formation of the 'Great Independence One-Party Promotion Association' in Beijing in 1926, and after that, the One-Party Movement became active in various parts of the country and abroad. Thus, in 1927, Singanhoe was formed in Korea, and a new phase unfolded in the national independence movement.
National Unity Movement Several unified councils were under the leadership of the General Staff Headquarters in Jilin and Banseok, Manchuria, and this issue was seriously discussed. The first was a meeting held for 15 days from May 12, 1928, to the 26th of the same month, with 39 representatives of 18 organizations, including the General Staff Headquarters, including Kim Dong-sam and Hyun Jeong-gyeong, as well as Park Geon-gyeom and others from Beijing, to organize a single national party was held. They gathered to discuss the issue of forming a single party for the Korean people in Manchuria. Still, there was a conflict between the positions of organizing around existing organizations and those of disbanding and reorganizing all existing organizations in terms of construction methods. Kim Dong-sam, a member of the General Staff Headquarters, gathered at Shinandun, 7 miles west of Giljangyeon-ro, and attempted to form a single party to unify the three divisions but failed.
At this time, the representative of the General Staff Headquarters returned midway due to the severe crackdown by the Chinese and Japanese forces, and the representative of the Shinmin Prefecture arrived after the meeting ended and was unable to attend the plenary session. However, representatives of various organizations gathered from different parts of Manchuria set as specific agendas the method of struggle against Japan based on the world situation, the issue of forming a single party, and various other issues related to the military, finance, politics, education, labor, youth, etc. However, the meeting did not proceed smoothly and was divided as follows. This is because there were conflicting opinions on how to form a single party, such as group-oriented organization theory, group-oriented organization theory, individual-oriented organization theory, etc., and the two sides fought tightly, with some insisting on organizing a 'council' and others 'promoting council.' am. In addition, some did not participate in this meeting from the beginning and tried to form an 'established association.'
Those who advocate for the 'Council' are 11 organizations, including the General Staff Headquarters, Yaksan Workers' Union, and Damuldan, which claim or support group-oriented or group-centered organization theory, and they are 'preparing a single national party. We will actively strive to complete the Korean Independence Movement, the legacy of our revolutionary predecessors. By discussing matters such as ‘extracting common political complaints from all levels of the nation and concentrating the only national party,’ they sought to build a united front with national liberation and independence as the top goal.
Innovation Council In September 1928, a three-part integrated conference was held under the auspices of the General Staff Headquarters. However, the meeting eventually collapsed as differences in positions on integration could not be resolved. Thus, on November 15 of that year, the Kim Dong-sam and Ji Cheong-cheon factions of the Righteous Government, the Military Government Committee of the Shinmin Prefecture, and the Kim Seung-hak faction of the General Staff Headquarters gathered together to form the Innovation Council. Afterwards, the military faction of the Shinmin Prefecture, the mainstream faction of the General Staff Headquarters, and the secessionist faction of the Righteous Government which had been advocating disbanding and reorganizing existing organizations through the National Unity Party Promotion Association, organized the Innovation Council in December 1928.
The side advocating for the Innovation Council were seven organizations, including the South Manchurian Youth Alliance and the North Manchuria Youth General Alliance, which advocated the complete dismantlement of established organizations with local and factional characteristics and the theory of individual-based organization. Their opinion was to organize a single national party to defeat Japanese imperialism and build a new nation where everyone would be politically and economically equal. Both sides' arguments were unable to reach a compromise even though the meeting lasted for 15 days, and the plenary session was adjourned. Afterward, the two sides held separate meetings in different places to solidify their respective claims while forming the 'National Unity Party Organization Council' and the 'National Unity Party Organization Promotion Association,' further intensifying the conflict.
Since this innovation council aimed to establish a unified military government, its duration was limited to one year. Kim Dong-sam, Hwang Hak-soo, Ji Cheong-cheon, Kim Seung-hak, and 16 other members were elected as central executive committee members, including Chairman Kim Dong-sam and the central executive committee chairman. It had departments and executives such as Kim Won-jik, Military Committee Chairman Hwang Hak-su, Military Committee Chairman Ji Cheong-cheon, and Civil Affairs Committee Chairman Kim Seung-hak. In addition, the administrative districts for Korean self-governance were designated as Namil-gu for the Wonchamuibu jurisdiction, Jungil-gu, and Bukil-gu for the Jeonminminbu jurisdiction to govern the entire Manchuria. After reorganizing this system, the Innovation Council focused on purging pro-Japanese factions. It significantly destroyed Japanese colonial institutions such as the Seonminbu and the Korean Community Association until they were disbanded in May 1929.
As described above, the Chosunghoe side organized the Innovation Council to continue the national movement. It also organized the 'United National Party Remanufacturer Association' to succeed and complete the formation of a unique national party, which had been a long-standing task. Kim Dong-sam was appointed as the chairman of the central executive committee, and Kim Jwa-jin and Kim Seong-gyo were appointed co-committee members, respectively. After setting the following policy, the front and back of the Innovation Council became one and focused on promoting a single party. Mobilize the general constituents and make them strive for the party's collective foundation. Develop theories about the revolution in Joseon to sort out the inherent contradictions of the Manchurian movement and make efforts to prepare for the formation of a great party. Even before the establishment of the Great Party, prevent the intrusion of vicious demonic beasts during the transition period and exclude the so-called active policy of invading the Manchurian Empire.
Second Integration Meeting