Jo So-ang

Jo So-ang (조소앙, 30 April 1887 - 10 September 1958) was a politician and an educator in Korea under Japanese rule.

He participated in drawing up a draft of the proclamation of the independence of Korea in 1918 while he was studying in Japan, and after 1919, worked for the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea as the secretary of the provisional government and head of the Korean Independence Party. He also organized the society of policies on current affairs with Kim Gu and Yeo Unhyeong, contributing to establish the theories on diplomacy of the provisional government. In the political scene of liberated Korea, he was one of the right politicians, who sticked to the legitimacy of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. In 1948, he visited Pyongyang to attend the joint conference of leaders of parties and social groups in the entire nation with Kim Gu and Kim Gyusik, which was turned out to be a failure. He abandoned his direction for North-South Korea's cooperation, leading to one-sided establishment of Republic of Korea in favor.

He ran for a representative of the national assembly and was elected in 1950. In the same year when the Korean war broke out, he was abducted and taken to North Korea.