Seo Sang-ryeol’s Final Letter (1896): Patriotism in Words
In May 1896, Seo Sang-ryeol, a righteous army leader of Korea’s late Joseon period, wrote a letter while ill during the resistance against Japanese forces. Born in Danyang and trained in Confucian thought, Seo had joined the Uibyeong movement after the assassination of Queen Min, leading forces in the Jecheon and Chungju regions.
This letter reveals Seo’s strategic thinking amid hardship. He debates whether to hold position in Jecheon or move west, expressing concern over provisions, terrain, and troop morale. Despite his illness, he insists that once a plan is made, it must not be altered for convenience. He urges his comrades to act decisively and unite with other fighters.
Seo was killed a month later in Hwacheon, ambushed while retreating. Though buried hastily, he was later reinterred and honored posthumously with the Order of Merit for National Foundation in 1963. His letter remains a rare document of lived conviction—where thought, strategy, and sacrifice converge.
