Lim Hyun-joo (1859 ~ 1915) was a Korean independence activist of the Korean Empire who fought against Japanese imperialism. He was born in Chungcheongnam-do and worked as an educator and writer, promoting national consciousness. He resisted the harsh Japanese rule by submitting several petitions, but ultimately, his efforts were in vain. He continued his anti-Japanese struggle until his death in 1915 due to illness.
Lim Hyun-joo’s notable work, *Meesan Geoui Rok* (Record of the Meesan Uprising), was written in 1905, following the example of his mentor, Choi Ik-hyun. The book consists of 44 chapters.
Translation (Beginning Part):
On October 21, 1905, during the Gwangmu era, the Japanese key figure, Ito Hirobumi, led troops into Gyeongseong, surrounded the palace, and, with the help of traitors like Yi Ji-yong and Yi Geun-taek, forced our emperor to sign a protection treaty. As a result, the Residency-General was established, and the land and people of Korea fell into Japan’s grasp. Prior to this, other prominent Japanese figures had taken control of our government, abolishing the police bureau and the Ministry of Justice, and placing Japan in charge of the country’s police duties.
In response, Choi Ik-hyun was summoned and tearfully advised the king on policies to save the country during a royal audience, but his advice was ignored, and he returned to his private residence. He then laid down outside the palace gates and repeatedly submitted petitions, but was eventually arrested by Japanese soldiers and threatened to return to his hometown. Following this, Choi withdrew from the world, isolated himself in a remote mountain village, and refused to meet with anyone.
Later, upon hearing of the October incident, Choi submitted another petition but received no reply. Yeonjae visited Choi Ik-hyun and urgently requested him to come to Seoul to work together. Choi, despite not receiving a reply to his earlier petition and being in a difficult situation, saw this as an opportunity to pursue his cause and began preparations to go to Seoul.
Choi Ik-hyun personally wrote and distributed a proclamation to the people of the eight provinces, calling them to action. Many scholars intended to gather in Seoul and work with Yeonjae, but their plans did not come to fruition. Yeonjae eventually died on the last day of the lunar year, and their plan was ultimately unsuccessful. Realizing that his petitions were futile, Lim Hyun-joo decided it would be better to raise an army and fight to the death rather than live under the same sky as the enemy.
On February 21 of the Byeongo year, he made an agreement with former county magistrate Lim Byeong-chan to meet in the middle of Jongseoksan Mountain and put their plan into action. However, their plan ultimately failed.
