Korean National Association

2009년 2월1일  대한인국민회(Korean National Association) 창립100주년 기념을  명분으로  7월 25일 LA한국문화원(KCCLA)에서 개최되는 세미나에 대해서 한 마디해야 되겠다는 생각이 들어 펜을 들었다. 나의 할아버지 도산안창호선생의 철학은 정직과 진실에 바탕을 둔다. 역사도 마찬가지다. 역사란 진실이 필수적이고 진실이 아닌 토론이나 행사는 의미가 없다.

요즘 우리 한인사회에서 진행되는 이른바 역사에 관련되는 행사는 역사의 진실을 추구하기는 커녕 역사를 왜곡하는 사례가 너무 많다. 대한인국민회는 1909년 샌프란시스코에서 창립되어 1937년 현재의 장소인 LA 제퍼슨 불르바드로 이동했다. 대한인국민회는 나라 잃은 한인들이 힘을 모아 항일 투쟁를 지도하는 최초의 동포연합단체이었고 1912년에는 중앙총회를 구성해서 북미, 하와이, 멕시코, 시베리아, 만주지역에 지방 총회들을 통괄하고1919년 3.1운동후 대한민국 상하이 임시정부를 설립하는 과정에서 획기적인 역활을 했다. 1922년에는 이승만의 끊임없는 분란으로 인해서 중앙총회를 폐지하게 된다. 이에 앞서 이승만은 ‘국제 위임통치’설을 주장함으로 대한인국민회 임원들의 분노를 사게된다. 한마디로 이승만은 대한인 국민회의 활동을 방해한 사람이라고 봐야 옳다. 이승만의 방해 활동에 관련되는 내용은 www.koreannationalassn.com에 올려있다. 뿐만이 아니라 이승만 정부의 부패와 독재적 행세는 잘 알려진 사실이다.

이런 역사적 배경을 알면서 나는 이번에 국민회관 기념재단이 국민회 창립 100주년 기념 명분의 행사에서 왜 이승만을 포함시키는 행사를 주도하는지 전혀 이해가 안간다. 명백한 왜곡이다. 이 행사에서 발표된 92인 애국유공자 명단을 살펴보면 이승만으로 인해서 희생된 인사들이 많다. 그리고 이승만의 이름도 올려있다. 이승만은 1949년에 자기 자신에게 훈장을 부여한 셈이다. 미주 한인 역사 자료들을 살펴보면 이승만의 개인적 욕망과 부패가 뚜렸이 보인다. 1924년 이승만 지지자들은 미국 정부 당국에게 도산을 공산당원 (Bolshevik Communist) 이라고 투서해 도산은 미연방정부의 심한 조사를 받아야 했다. 도산외에도 92인 명단에 포함된 여러 인사들도 공산당원이라는 지적을 받았다. 그중 다수 흥사단 인원들도 포함된다. 그럼에도 불구하고 일부 흥사단 단우들이 오늘날 이 행사를 후원한다는것은 한심한 일이다. 해방후 많은 흥사단 단우들이 조국으로 못 돌아간 이유도 이승만 때문이다.

나는 이승만이 대한민국의 초대 대통령으로 선출됐다는 사실이 역사적 수치라고 본다. ‘거짖이 없어라’는 도산의 교훈을 승계받은 후손으로써 나는 역사의 진리를 위해서 끊임없는 투쟁을 할 것이다. 따라서 나의 견해와 반대하는 인사들과 공식적인 자리에서 토론을 하기를 제안한다.

Los Angeles, CA  July 23, 2008:  My name is Philip Cuddy and I am the grandson of Dosan Ahn Chang Ho. Korean and Korean American history activities in the United States need to be properly presented to the public and preserved to tell the story of the fight against Japanese Occupation of Korea as well as more modern day history ACCUARETLY with ACCOUNTABILITY.

I challenge any one or all of these organizations to a public debate regarding the honoring of Syngman Rhee under the name of the KNA. It is not proper history.

The upcoming KCCLA seminar on July 25^th and following exhibit honoring Korean Patriots under the guise of the 100 Year Anniversary of the KNA is a manufactured history not an actual accounting of the situation in the early days of the Korean American community’s Independence Movement. It is shameful to twist history and give the public a distorted view of what actually took place.

The local organizations and Korean government offices involved in the July event should know history and not make it up to suit their needs. When you examine the list of Patriotic Awards, Syngman Rhee gave the award to himself in 1949. He is the only one to do this. Many patriots on this list of 92 suffered from Rhee’s dishonesty. The story of Syngman Rhee’s KNA agitation follows. This is an example of the wrong information being presented. It should absolutely not be done under the veil of the KNA story. Syngman Rhee was a criminal and the worst person to become President of Korea. He is one of the main reasons Korea is divided today.

How could these people and mostly any Hungsadan people (since they are supposed to be an organization that upholds the truth and educates young leaders) support this manipulation of history? It appears they don’t know anything about history. This is the Korean American Centennial warped distortion of our history all over again.

        Syngman Rhee should not be honored at the KCCLA exhibit under the umbrella of the KNA 100 Year Anniversary or at the KNA Memorial Hall. Rhee was an authoritarian dictator not a statesman and used the patriotic disguise to create a mythical hero status. This is a shameful day for Korean National Association and Korean American history.

The is just one example of the problems with these groups and this event. I will publicly debate any of these people involved with the KCCLA event to get the truth to the people.

• 1913 – Rhee arrives in Hawaii to work for the Methodist Church. Soon after his arrival he requests Hawaii Branch of the KNA for funds to build a dormitory for students of the Central Institute which he operated. In 1915 the annual KNA Conference turned down this idea. The friction between Rhee and the KNA began. Rhee’s real frustration was his competition with the KNA for raising Korean community funds to finance projects in that community. Rhee’s ideas were not in accord with KNA policies. Rhee was unhappy with the strong position the KNA established in the Hawaiian community. Rhee motivated people to disengage themselves from the KNA. Rhee took a stance against the KNA’s Pak Yong Man. Rhee accused the KNA of corruption and some members of embezzlement of KNA funds. Rhee instigated a physical fight during a KNA meeting. Rhee had KNA President Kim Chong Hak arrested in May on charges of embezzlement. Kim was acquitted in September after an ugly trial in the courts of Hawaii. Rhee used the confusion and conflict he started to get people in Hawaii to send him funds and not the KNA.

• 1915 – Pak Yong Man could not stop the destructive process started by Syngman Rhee with the Hawaii KNA. Pak was overwhelmed by Rhee’s agitation. Pak leaves Hawaii for San Francisco and is installed as Vice-President of the Central Congress of the KNA. Dosan had been elected as President. In order to unify the Korean community in Hawaii, Dosan traveled to Hawaii arriving on August 31, 1915. Dosan proceeded to visit members of the Korean community and give speeches in hopes of unifying the people in Hawaii and restore harmony allowing the community to focus on the Independence Movement. While Dosan was there Kim Chong Hak seriously affected by Syngman Rhee’s embezzlement accusations attempted suicide on September 15^th by shooting himself in the mouth. Dosan made a serious attempt to right the wrongs of Syngman Rhee attempting gain the trust of people in Hawaii for the KNA. He visited almost every Korean throughout the islands. On December 15^th he departed for San Francisco.

• The dispute between Syngman Rhee and Pak Yong Man was settled for a brief period after Dosan went to Hawaii. In 1917, Dosan went to the Yucatan in Mexico to check on the Koreans who had been working under harsh conditions in Merida. Pak had returned to Hawaii to be the editor of the Kungminbo. Rhee and his faction in Hawaii revived their dispute. This time Pak distanced himself from the KNA. Without Pak’s leadership of the KNA, Rhee became a more dominant figure in Hawaii. During this time Rhee was accused of embezzling KNA funds. During court trials in 1918 a fight broke out between Rhee followers and KNA people. The Honolulu Police had to be called in. After this incident Pak completely withdrew from the KNA. When Dosan returned from a difficult trip to Mexico he faced the conflict and violent quarrels in Hawaii now between Rhee’s group and Pak’s group (the Yeonhaphoe) and the KNA.

• The KNA meets and plans to send a petition for Independence from Japan to the Paris Peace Conference. Three representatives should go to Washington DC and then to New York to attend the second conference of the League of Small and Subject Nationalities. The representatives were Min Chan Ho, Henry Chung and Rhee. Rhee was selected due to his relationship with President Woodrow Wilson.

• Henry Chung and Rhee were selected to attend the Paris Peace Conference. Rhee did not show up for any of the KNA meetings in January of 1918 preparing the positions for the Conference. Rhee’s connections in Washington DC failed to secure passage for the delegation to the Paris Peace Conference. Dosan asked Rhee to take the delegates to approach President Wilson upon his return from Paris in February for his help. Rhee had taken it upon himself to state Korea should be placed in a trustee relationship under a mandate arrangement rather than complete independence. This act created a lack of trust in Rhee by many Independence leaders.

• March 1^st, 1919 – March First Uprising takes place drastically changing all previous KNA and Independence Movement Plans. On March 13^th Dosan made a speech asking people to forget all the disputes between KNA, Ahn and Rhee and Pak.

• March 15^th – Central Congress of the KNA passes 13 official policies. #5 appointed Soh Jae Pil as Foreign Affairs Advisor and to establish a bureau in Philadelphia. #9 appoints Syngman Rhee as Soh’s assistant. Rhee developed a problem with Soh’s method of leadership and carried it on into the future.

• April 5, 1919 – Dosan leaves Los Angles for Shanghai to join the Provisional Government. Rhee is selected to be the Premier or Chief Executive by two groups organizing governments in exile. Rhee did not show up immediately to take his position in Shanghai. Many people in Shanghai were not confident in Rhee’s leadership. On June 25^th, 1919 Dosan gave a speech in Shanghai requesting people to support Rhee’s leadership.

• Rhee proclaims himself “President” of the Provisional Government. This use of the title was unapproved by the Cabinet in Shanghai and the Korean National Association in America. Rhee insisted on his use of President instead of Chairman as the group had determined. His egotistical need to place himself on the same level as presidents of other nations was the rational. His actions did not represent a democratic way of organizing a government. This was just the start of his ploy.

• Rhee issued and sold unapproved bonds to divert money to his Korean Commission and take finances away from the KNA and Provisional Government.

• By 1924 things had reached a bitter climax. In 1925 the Korean Provisional Government placed an official death warrant out for Rhee.