Heo Heon (許憲, July 22, 1885 – August 16, 1951) was a prominent figure during the Japanese colonial period, serving as a lawyer, independence activist, and later a politician in North Korea. His pen name was Geungin (兢人), and he was born in Myongchon, North Hamgyong Province. Heo studied modern education at Hansung Middle School and Boseong College, and later graduated from the law department of Meiji University in Japan. In 1907, he passed the first bar exam of the Korean Empire and also qualified as a lawyer in Japan.
As a lawyer, Heo was a fierce advocate for Korean independence activists, defending them in court during the Japanese occupation. His most notable role came after the March 1st Movement of 1919, where he defended the 33 national representatives and other related figures, earning him a reputation as an anti-Japanese lawyer. Heo provided free legal services for many independence activists, standing up against the colonial oppression. He also defended workers, fighting for their employment rights and wage increases without charging any fees, championing social justice.
In addition to his legal career, Heo was deeply involved in education and social activities. In 1924, he became the principal of Boseong College and served as the president of the Korean Bar Association, continuing his advocacy for independence activists and workers. He also supported women’s education, and his daughter, Heo Jeong-sook, later became a well-known women’s rights activist and socialist.
Heo played a key role in the founding of *Singanhoe* in 1927, an organization dedicated to the nationalist movement uniting both left and right-wing factions. Through *Singanhoe*, he supported various social movements, including labor, peasant, youth, and women’s movements.
During the later years of the Japanese occupation, Heo was arrested and imprisoned for two years due to his involvement in the shortwave radio monitoring incident in 1943. After Korea’s liberation in 1945, Heo joined forces with figures like Yeo Un-hyeong and Park Heon-young to form the Korean People’s Republic and was appointed as the Prime Minister in its provisional government. After facing persecution in South Korea for his political activities, he fled to North Korea in 1948 after the South-North conference and settled there. Heo was elected as the Chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly in North Korea and served as the president of Kim Il Sung University.
Throughout his life, Heo was dedicated to the independence movement, making significant contributions to the struggle for Korea’s freedom. He passed away in 1951 in an accident at Cheongcheon River, and his funeral was held as a national ceremony.
Translation:
Although there have been opportunities to send letters through others, I have become habitually lazy, and being busy with farming, even holding a brush to write a single character feels as difficult as stacking go pieces. I could not even manage to write a single letter to express my heart, which fills me with deep sorrow.
I respectfully think that summer must be a difficult season for the elderly. I hope that you are at peace in both mind and body, and that the senior members of your family are still in good health. Have you been living well while caring for your parents (定省: assisting them in the evening and checking on their well-being in the morning)? Have you finished reading a few books and studied poetry with purpose? I always think of these things and offer my congratulations, never ceasing to wish for your well-being day and night.
As for me, I am caring for my mother as always, and fortunately, my family members have no major illnesses to report. However, due to the heat and humidity, I have been bedridden for about ten days, though I am now beginning to recover.
Thinking of your region, which is known for droughts, I wonder if you were able to start the rice planting before the rains came. Did you manage to finish the planting after the rain? I also worry that the mountains may have caused flooding. I would like to hear news of how things are going.
Our region is also a drought-prone area. In our household, we planted half of the crops during the dry period and finished the rest after the rain, completing the rice planting. Fortunately, my great-uncle has remained in good health, and my uncle was blessed with another son ten days ago, with no complications.
There are countless things I wish to discuss with you, but I will leave them for when we can meet in cooler weather and speak openly. I will end the letter here for now.
On the 20th day of the intercalary fifth month in the year of Gyesa (癸酉),
Your younger brother, Heo Heon, with respectful bows.
