Yang Se-bong (; June 5, 1896 – August 12, 1934) was a Korean independence activist and the commander-in-chief of the Korean Revolutionary Army of the National People's Prefecture, during the Japanese colonial period. General Yang Se-bong has joined several independence organization training and leading resistance fighters against the Japanese military and police in Manchuria and Korea. Yang Se-bong was a leader who was transcendent, who warmly embraced the mistakes of his subordinates and did not criticize them under any circumstances. Yang posthumously received the recipient of the Order of Merit for National Foundation.
Early life and activities Yang Won-bong was born as the eldest of siblings into a poor farming family in Yeonsan-dong, Seri-myeon, Cheolsan, North Pyongan Province, and his nickname is Byeokhae. His father's name is unknown, his mother is Kim A-gyu, and his brothers' names were Yang Won-bong, Yang Sibong, and Yang Bong-nyeo. While working as a school worker in Cheolsan-gun, his teacher recognized Yang Se-bong's talent and taught him the basic knowledge of Chinese classics, including the Thousand Character Classic, over the course of two years. He learned the Cheonjamun, Dongmong Anthology, and Myeongmyeongbogam over his shoulder.
An anti-Japanese consciousness sprouted in his young heart as he saw the Japanese invasion spread to this area, plundering innocent residents and committing all kinds of atrocities. In October 1909, when he heard that Ahn Jung-geun assassinated Ito Hirobumi, the prime minister of the Empire of Japan, at Harbin Station, he admired and respected Ahn's spirit.
When his father died in 1912 when he was 16 years old, he took charge of the household. In 1916, he married Lim Jae-sun when he was 20. However, due to declining fortunes, it was no longer possible to live in the country, so in the harsh winter of 1917, he moved with his family to Geumguchon, Sado-gu, Heunggyeong-hyeon. There was a rumor going around that if he went to Manchuria, he would be able to eat his fill. So he blindly stamped the immigration claim form. In 1919, he moved to Hongmyoja, where many Koreans live. He moved to (子). So, he supported his family as a tenant farmer. In the spring of 1919, while he was living in Hongmyoja, Sinbin-hyeon, when the national March 1st Movement broke out in Korea, he and Lee Se-il, the principal of Heungdong School, rallied the residents and led the independence demonstration movement.
Cheonmasan Army Immediately after the March 1st Movement in 1919, he joined the Cheonmasan Army, which was carrying out an armed anti-Japanese movement based on Mt. Chŏnma (Chonma-san) in Sakju-gun, North Pyongan Province, and worked to destroy Japanese ruling institutions and purge pro-Japanese activists. In 1920, he moved to Manchuria and worked at the Liberation Army General Command.
In 1922, he supported the anti-Japanese movement in connection with Kim Myeong-bong (金明奉) and Jeong Chang-ha (鄭昌夏), the leaders of the independence group. He also became a local agent of the independence group and supported the independence movement by supplying food. In the winter of the same year, he joined the Cheonmasandae (天麻山隊: 崔時興). The Cheonmasandae was an armed independence army organized by Choi Si-heung, Choi Ji-poong, and Park Eung-baek in December 1920, with about 500 young and middle-aged men. Armed with conventional weapons, rifles, and weapons taken from the enemy, they fought throughout the province. He carried out guerrilla warfare, raiding enemy substations, police stations, and township offices, and executed Japanese secret agents and police officers. He carried out attacks on the border of Uiju, Sakju, and Gwiseong counties, and attacked the Yudong Police Station, Geumgwang Office, and Yeongrimchang of Changseong County. Here, he stole military supplies and gold bars and used them as military funds.
Joining the Korean Unification Government In August 1922, representatives of 8 divisions and 9 meetings, including the Western Military Government and the Korean Independence Army, the Korean Liberation Army Military Camp, the Korean Liberation Army General Command, and the Pyeonganbuk-do Dokpanbu They held a meeting for the unification of the Han people in southern Manchuria in Magwonja, Hwanin County, China, and formed the Korean Tonguibu (大韓統義府), which integrated each independence movement group in southern Manchuria. Tonguibu had 10 departments under the president (金東三) and vice president (蔡相德), including civil affairs, negotiation, military, legal affairs, finance, academic affairs, business, power, transportation, and staff. Under each department, there was a bureau, and a secretarial department and a judicial office were established. An independent government was formed that integrated civil and military administration in the southern Manchurian region. At this time, the teacher was active as a member of the 3rd Company (Company Commander: Choi Ji-poong) under the Uigun of Daehan Tonguibu.
Joining the Provisional Government In early 1923, the so-called subjugation plan of the Empire of Japan against Cheonmasandae resulted in all kinds of atrocities being committed, including attacking and setting fire to Koreans living in the area as well as the base of the independence army. As a result, it was no longer possible to operate in the country, so Choi Siheung led the Cheonmasandae and moved to Yuhahyeon in Manchuria. Afterwards, Cheonmasandae joined with the General Command of the Liberation Army, which was carrying out armed activities there, and was expanded and reorganized into the Cheolmabyeolyeong of the Liberation Army. At this time, the teacher was appointed as an inspector for Dongyeong and worked hard to establish military discipline by guiding delinquent soldiers, while strengthening training to raise the volunteer army to the level of the regular army, earning great trust from General Oh Dong-jin, the commander-in-chief. The General Directorate of the Liberation Army was an armed group launched in Anzi District, Guanzhen County, China in September 1920. It was an army unit under the direct control of the Provisional Government and had jurisdiction over North Korea. Afterward, Cheonmasan Headquarters merged with the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. Yang Se-bong began to demonstrate his ability using the Provisional Government as a stepping stone.
Service for the General Staff Headquarters Around May 1923, Japanese police stations, myeon offices, etc. in the area of Changseong-gun, Pyeongbuk, Pan-myeon, Chosan-gun, and Yeongsan, Goryeong, Uiju-gun. He amassed a record of attacking and killing dozens of enemies. In August 1923, when the Daehan Tonguibu was divided into the Uigunbu due to conflict in the strategy of the independence movement, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th companies of the Tonguibu volunteer army were organized by Hwanin-hyeon Magwonja. The Ministry of Military Affairs of the Provisional Government recognized the General Staff Headquarters as a military organization, focusing on Fusong, Changbai, Antu, Tonghua, and Yuhwa along the Yalu River and Jian County in China, etc., were placed in charge of the civil and military administration of the compatriot community. The General Staff Headquarters carried out an active armed struggle through operations to enter the country. He actively carried out domestic invasion operations as a platoon commander, and was later promoted to the 3rd company commander.
Attempted assassination of Makoto Saito Appointed as a platoon leader of the 3rd Company of the General Staff Headquarters, he fought with the Japanese police at Seongnam-dong, Chosan-gun, Pyeongbuk, and Gosan River, Ganggye-gun, on May 16, 1924, killing several enemies. When they received information that the Governor General of Korea Makoto Saito, the culprit behind the Japanese occupation, was patrolling the Yalu River, the border area, on the 19th of the same month, they joined forces with the 1st Platoon led by Platoon Leader Han Woong-gwon of the 2nd Company of the General Staff Headquarters and took part in a battle that was beyond the reach of Japanese security. Elite troops were stationed at Masitan Cliff on the Manchurian side of the river and commanded sniping as Saito passed by on a border patrol boat on the Yalu River. As the guard ship approached, shooting began, but surprisingly the range was too far. The guard ship fled at full speed to avoid the hail of bullets. In the end, the big task of punishing the Governor-General of Korea was nothing more than an attempt, but it was an operation that shook Japan's nerves with the intelligence and execution power of the Korean Independence Army.
In particular, after the March 1st Movement, Saito was only making false boasts about moderating Japan's rule over Korea in the name of so-called cultural politics, which not only served as a bombshell warning to him, but also served as an opportunity to further promote the activities of the Korean independence army both at home and abroad. This incident led to the Japanese colonial government signing the so-called Samshi Agreement (三矢協定), the so-called Samsi Agreement (三矢協定), in 1925 between Samsi (三矢), head of the police department of the Japanese Government General of Korea, and the police chief of Bongcheonseong in Manchuria, and the Chinese authorities As it had the obligation to suppress the independence movement, the activities of the independence army suffered a significant blow.
In June 1924, he led a platoon of the General Staff Headquarters and entered Ganggye and Wiwon, Pyeongguk Province and engaged in combat with the Japanese police. At the end of the same year, he was promoted to the 3rd commander of the Chamuibu and participated in anti-Japanese armed activities and Builbae in the area of Hwajeon County in southern Manchuria. Japanese purges were actively carried out.
Leading the National Unity Party Organization In July of the same year, while General Shin Pal-gyun, commander of Tonguibu and chairman of the Military Commission, was training officers of the Military Academy in Milim-ri, Ido-gu, Wangcheongmun, a group of bandits instigated by the Japanese raided and faced a crisis. When he was cornered, he and his crew quickly launched a rescue operation and provided covering fire, but suffered the tragic death of dozens of independence fighters, including General Shin Pal-gyun. Tonguibu faced a crisis. In July 1924, a general meeting of the All-Manchurian Unification Council was held in Jilin, where an agreement was reached on Daedong unity. On November 25 of the same year, about 10 organizations, including Tonguibu, Daehangunjeongseo, Jilim Residents' Association, and Uiseongdan, gathered together. 25 people, including Kim Dong-sam, Ko Hal-sin, Lee Jin-san, Lee Cheon-min, Kim Ho, and Lee Jang-nyeong, gathered together and elected Kim Dong-sam as the chairman and discussed. After repeated efforts, the Righteous Government was formed.