An Jung-geun

An Jung-geun (안중근; 安重根) (September 2, 1879 - March 26, 1910) was a Korean who assassinated the Japanese politician Ito Hirobumi, who was former Resident-General of Korea. He is regarded as a hero in South Korea while North Koreans think his act led the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910.

An Jung-geun, who had previously led Korean forces fighting against the Japanese, assassinated Ito Hirobumi on the railway platform in Harbin (Manchuria) in 1910. He was captured and sentenced to death. The execution took place in Lui shun prison.

An had cut off parts of several of his fingers and used the resulting blood to write "Korean Independence" on the Korean national flag.

He is commemorated in the Martial Art of Tae Kwon-Do and the pattern which is dedicated to him is called Joon Gun. There are 32 movements in this pattern which signifies his age when he died (though actually he was 30).

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