Hong Sa-ik
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hong Sa-ik | |
|---|---|
| Hangul: |
홍사익
|
| Hanja: |
洪思翊
|
| Revised Romanization: | Hong Saik |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Hong Saik |
| Also known in Japanese as: ホン・サイク (Hon Saiku) こう しよく (Kō Shiyoku) |
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Hong Sa-ik (March 4, 1889–September 26, 1946)[1] was a Lieutenant General in the Imperial Japanese Army, and the highest-ranking ethnic Korean in Japan to be charged with war crimes relating to the conduct of the Empire of Japan in World War II.
A graduate of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, Hong was placed in command of the Japanese camps holding Allied (primarily U.S. and Filipino) prisoners of war in the Philippines during the latter part of World War II. He was reportedly placed in command of the camps because the Japanese military believed that the guards would respect his orders, as most of the camp guards were of Korean ethnicity. Under his command, many of his guards committed what the Allies considered to be atrocities against the prisoners in the camps.[2]
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[edit] Early career
Hong, a member of the Namyang Hong clan, was born in 1889 to a yangban family in Anseong, Gyeonggi-do. In 1905, as the Eulsa Treaty was being signed, he entered into the military academy of the Empire of Korea. With the abolishment of the academy in 1909, he transferred to Japan's Rikugun Chūō Yōnen Gakkō as a government-financed student along with Crown Prince Yi Eun on the orders of dethroned Emperor Gojong. Soon after, he advanced to the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. At that time, there were several students from the Empire of Korea enrolled at the military academy, and with the shock of the 1910 annexation of Korea by Japan, a great number of them threw themselves into movements for Korean independence, but Hong resolved to avoid getting tied up in such movements. Believing instead that he should fight only after having studied and developed his skills, he parted ways with his classmates.[1]
In 1914, Hong graduated in the 26th class of the academy and entered into the Imperial Japanese Army, and in 1923 graduated from the Army War College. Around this time, he was contacted by an old friend of his from the military academy, Yi Cheong-cheon, then a commandant in the Korean Liberation Army; Yi invited him to join the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, based in Shanghai, but Hong, feeling that the time was not right and that it wasn't a good plan to stand up then and there, refused his old friend's invitation. However, in spite of this, he secretly maintained his friendship with Yi and other anti-Japanese activists in the Korean Liberation Army, and even supported Yi's family with his own funds, an action which could have put Hong himself in danger if he made even a small mistake.[1]
[edit] Rising through the ranks
With the implementation of the sōshi-kaimei policy, Hong was under strong pressure change his Korean name to a Japanese-style name, but he ignored the pressure and in the end did not change his name and kept his surname as Hong.
He continued to demonstrate exceptional ability and was rapidly promoted through the ranks, eventually rising to the rank of general. In 1941, he became the leader of the 108th Infantry Brigade as a major general, and in March 1944 went to the Philippines to command prisoner-of-war camps. He was promoted to lieutenant general in October of the same year, and would remain in the Philippines until the cessation of hostilities.
[edit] Trial and execution
After the war, when tried by the Allies over the conduct of his prison guards while he was commandant of the POW camps, Hong offered no defense or testimony and maintained complete silence. The Manila military tribunal sentenced him to death as a war criminal on April 18, 1946.[3]
While in prison, Hong was reported to have converted to Christianity.[2] He was executed by hanging on September 26, 1946. Before he was executed, he requested the presiding minister to read Psalm 51, a plea by King David for God to wash away the sin of his adultery with Bathsheba.[1]
[edit] Later views
After Korea gained its independence, Hong's family became the target of blame and ostracism by pro-Japanese factions in Korea. His eldest son Hong Guk-seon graduated from Japan's Waseda University and afterwards worked in the Bank of Chōsen , but was removed from his position on the orders of Syngman Rhee. He and his mother, Hong's widow, later emigrated to the U.S. to escape the persecution.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Chun, Young-gi. "War criminal, general, but still Korean", Joongang Daily, 2004-03-05. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
- ^ a b Kim, Young-Sik, Ph.D. (2003). "The US-Korea relations: 1910–1945: A brief history of the US-Korea relations prior to 1945". Association for Asian Research. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
- ^ Katsuori. マニラ軍事裁判 (The Manila Military Tribunal). Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
- ^ Lee Gyu-Tae, quoted by Kim, Young-Sik, Ph.D. (2003). "The US-Korea relations: 1910–1945: A brief history of the US-Korea relations prior to 1945". Association for Asian Research. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
[edit] Bibliography
- Yamamoto, Shichihei (October 2006). 洪思翊中将の処刑 (The execution of General Hong Sa Ik). Japan: Chikuma Shobo.
