Chapter 3. Rhee and His Political Career
3.2 Transition from a Prisoner to an Independentist
After Syngman Rhee graduated from Paichai, Syngman and his friends continued on discussing the complex internal problems of Joseon that ranged from social welfare to economy in a public debate called People's Assembly.32 Emperor Gojong's officials joined the debate and heard Syngman giving a speech about the faults of the Emperor, mostly the issues of the
toadyism and the collapsed political power of Joseon. The Emperor felt that this young Democrat threatened his regal power and declared Rhee to be a radical activist and national traitor.33 On January 9, 1899, he was arrested.
In co-operation with many patriotic leaders, we succeeded in arousing a sufficient number of people to join with us in inaugurating a national defense program. Unfortunately for Korea, the government was unable to understand the situation and tried to suppress the nationalist
movement… I soon found myself, together with many others, landed in jail, where I spent nearly seven years.34
He was sentenced to 7-year imprisonment for attempting an impeachment propaganda against the Emperor. A week later, he attempted to escape from prison, only to be recaptured within hours and sentenced to a harsher penalty of life imprisonment. It began with months of torture, leaving permanent scars on his body. In his autobiography, he described his daily
indignities in a statement: ‘For seven months I wore around my neck the cangue, a wooden collar weighing about 20 pounds, and to add to my agony, I sat with my feet locked together and both
32 Jeon, Wrath of Syngman Rhee, 40-41
33 Ibid., 41
34 Rhee, Japan Inside Out, 8
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hands handcuffed.’35 His time in prison helped him to shape his view of ego, state, and world in Christianity faith. Despite the heavy cangue (a kind of pillory worn about the neck) and manacles on his hands and feet, he managed to read and study a large number of books that his American friends, including foreign missionaries, were able to smuggle a large number of books into the prison to continue on his studying.36 In order to ensure Syngman Rhee’s safety, American missionaries considered sending him to America. One of the Presbyterian pastors, Lewis T.
Hamlin helped Rhee to transfer to George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
As their last resort, Emperor Gojong and his officials turned to America for intervention for preserving Korea’s sovereignty. Based on the United States–Korea Treaty of 1882 (or A Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce and Navigation; 조·미수호통상조약), Gojong expected American government to intervene in Japanese invasion. The treaty established mutual friendship and assistance in the case of attacks, and also addressed specific matters such as extraterritorial rights for American citizens in Korea, giving them significant trade privileges.37 To successfully establish such relations with the Americans, Gojong needed a person who could speak perfect English and possessed a profound knowledge of international affairs. Two faithful subjects of Gojong, Min Young-hwan (민영환; Aug 07, 1861 - Nov 30, 1905) the minister of the Korean Empire and Han Kyu-seol (한규설; 1856-1930), were well aware of Rhee’s fluency in English and his intelligence. Min and Han decided to ask Rhee for help just as he was about to leave for America. They convinced Gojong to release Rhee and send him on a secret mission as
35 Ho Lee, Hananim-ui Gijeog Daehanmingug Geongug I, 47
36 Rhee and Kim, The Spirit of Independence, 2
37 Haswell, Treaties and conventions concluded between the United States of America since July 4, 1776, 216.
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the King’s emissary, to seek the favor of the United States to safeguard Korea’s independence, at a peace conference to end the Russo-Japanese War.38 He was released in August 9, 1904, 5 years and 7 months after his initial imprisonment -- it was after the Japan–Korea Protocol of August 1904 was signed.
It was in early November of 1904 when Rhee (at the age of 29 years old) fled to America to make an appeal for Korea’s Independence to the 26th U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt (October 27, 1858–January 6, 1919) and the Secretary of State John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838 – July 1, 1905).39 President Roosevelt’s commitment to peace and freedom was
exceptionally demonstrated during the negotiations.40 By reminding Roosevelt of the United States–Korea Treaty, Rhee earnestly asked him for U.S. support to recover the monarch's dignity and autonomy from Japanese Imperialism. But the Treaty of Portsmouth had already been signed in August, so it was impossible for Rhee to attain the American aid that Korean Empire had wished for.41 Roosevelt had already made his mind to support Japan’s colonial rule of Asian countries, including Joseon42 in hopes of creating a firm and vigilant democratic state that could fight against the Communist expansion of Russia and China.43
With the denial of President Roosevelt and the fact that Americans were not aware of the grave extent to which the Japanese invasion had infringed the sovereignty of Joseon, Rhee
38 Rhee and Kim, The Spirit of Independence, 2
39 Jeon, Wrath of Syngman Rhee, 54-56
40 Theodore Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution in the Portsmouth Peace Conference, which held negotiations from August 6 to August 30 at the Portsmouth City, Maine, in the United States.
41 Ibid., 54-6
42 “1905 when President Theodore Roosevelt secretly made an agreement with Count Katsura and sold Korea to Japan, in an open violation of the treaty agreement.” (Rhee 2015: 293-4)
43 Jeon, Wrath of Syngman Rhee, 55
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struggled with finding ways that he could continue Korean Independence Movement in America for a long time. Furthermore, because of pro-Japanese policy, even the prominent American politicians who knew about the violence under Japanese rule could do nothing for Korea.
Through his Independence Movement in America (1904-1945), he learned that Koreans needed to build their own power in order to achieve sovereignty of their own country.