Korean Northern Army Command


The Korean Northern Army Command was a union of militant independence groups formed by Hong Beom-do's Korean Independence Army, Cho An-mu's Korean National Army, and Choi Jin-dong's Military Affairs Command in May 1920, and played a leading role in winning the Battle of Fengwudong in June 1920.

Background

The Korean Independence Army, which had established a base in North Gando carried out anti-Japanese armed activities together with the Korean Nationalist Army, discussed integration in early 1920 for effective anti-Japanese warfare. On February 21, 1920, Cho An-mu, commander of the National Army, and Hong Beom-do, commander of the Korean Independence Army, who had established a camp in Myeongwol-gu, Yanji County, met in Hamatang, Yanji County to discuss integration for the first time. Then, Choi Jin-dong, who had a camp in Bongo-dong, Chunhwa-hyang, Wangcheong-hyeon, joined in for three days from March 8 to 10, and on March 25. They met in succession on Sunday, April 22, May 7, and May 15 and tried to find an agreement for integration. However, despite their efforts, they were unable to unify their policies and ideologies and were unable to form a unified body, so they agreed to form a union with the National Army, and the Military Affairs Command. Thus, on May 22, 1920, they formed the Korean Northern Army Command, an alliance of North Gando independence forces.

Organization

The Korean Northern Army Command, which is a union of the three representative independent corps in North Gando, consists of Director Choi Jin-dong, Adjutant Commander Cho An-mu, Korean Northern Military Commander Hong Beom-do, Headquarters Adjutant Joo Geon, Chiefs of Staff Lee Byeong-chae and Oh Joo-hyuk, and Lim Byeong-geuk was appointed as the head of the clothing department of this joint military unit. There were 900 but grew to 1,200 troops, and divided into four companies and a military police force under this command. The age of the troops was about 34, from 5 to 20 years old.

Units and their commanders

Source:
There were armed independence groups who joined this union as follows:
  • Military Affairs Command: Choi Jin-dong
  • Korean Independence Army: Hong Beom-do
  • National Army: Cho An-mu
  • Korean Democratic Corps: Kim Gyu-moon

    Agreement

Representatives of the armed independence movement groups signed an agreement in Bongo-dong, the headquarters of the Choi Un-san brothers as follows:
  1. Registration of military registration within each organization is mutually mandatory and cannot be incorporated.
  2. In the future, the establishment of local organizations and recruitment of personnel will follow the public will.
  3. When each organization needs to raise funds, it must be decided by the council.
  4. In the case of a union between an organization and an organization, the council must agree.
  5. Each institution cannot mutually infringe upon local institutions.
  6. Regardless of the sub-organization, if there is negligence, we will work together to save the case.
  7. For organizations that do not comply with today’s order, we will mutually recommend them in good faith and allow them to participate in the association.
  8. January 15 of each year shall be designated as the regular session of the council.
  9. When there is a special matter, a special meeting will be held if two or more organizations agree.
  10. Two council members will be dispatched from each organization each meeting.
  11. If there is an organization that violates the above treaty, the last resort will be used if the second recommendation is not made.
  12. The prize pledge period is 11 days. The next meeting will be held on March 15.
Hong Beom-do conducted an operation to enter the country starting in the summer of 1919, while also focusing on the unification movement and joint operations among the independence corps. He first consulted with members of the Korean National Association in places such as Wangcheong-hyeon's Yeo-ja-jeong and Seo-gyeong-myeon, and agreed to build a united front. It was agreed that the Korean National Association would be in charge of administration and finances, and in the case of military affairs, Hong Beom-do would lead the Korean Independence Army and Cho An-mu would lead the Korean National Army. They promoted military unification with Choi Jin-dong's Military Provincial Administration. The integrated corps concentrated its forces in Bongo-dong, where the headquarters of the Military Provincial Administration was located, and carried out ceaseless operations to enter the country. However, in the case of actual combat, Hong Beom-do was to command the entire army with the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Korean Northern Military Command.

Equipment

They wore modified suits and waistcoats, carrying blankets on their backs and preparing a pair of shoes. However, in the case of the independence army, there were cases where they had regular uniforms, such as the military administration army, but they generally appeared as farmers or hunters, and because of this, the Japanese army had difficulty identifying the independence army. They're armed with 900 rifles, and 50 pistols. It was a powerful combined unit that was also equipped with over 100 grenades and two machine guns. But the Japanese imperial intelligence records provide a relatively detailed picture of the capabilities of the Korean Northern Military Command. According to this, the Korean Independence Army branch has 460 troops, 200 rifles, 40,000 rounds of ammunition, and 50 pistols, while the Military Affairs Command and the National Army branch has about 280 troops, 200 rifles, and 12,000 rounds of ammunition. It had 1,000 rounds, 120 grenades, and 2 machine guns.

Battles

The Korean Northern Army Command, which was born in the form of a well-organized corps rather than a simple union, carried out active guerrilla warfare entering the country immediately after its launch. Even before the birth of the Korean Northern Military Command, the three corps that participated in it and the guerrilla forces of the independence army belonging to several independence corps in North Gando frequently conducted wars into the country and punished the Japanese invaders. However, with the establishment of the independent military government, the independence armies became more confident and carried out more guerrilla warfare while inflicting serious blows on the Japanese.

Battle of Samdunja

On June 4, 1920, an independence army guerrilla force consisting of 30 people crossed the Duman River and entered Korea, attacked and defeated a Japanese military police patrol stationed in Gangyang-dong, 5 ri north of Jongseong, and returned home. The Japanese, who suffered great damage from the independence army's attack, immediately formed a pursuit force and chased after them. The pursuit force consisted of a company of the South Sea Garrison led by Japanese Lieutenant Jiro Niimi and a company of military police. When these Japanese troops did not discover the independence army that attacked them until they crossed the Duman River and reached Samdunja, they committed the atrocity of attacking the houses of innocent civilians. The independence fighters, who witnessed this while lurking at the foot of the mountain southwest of Samdunja, ransacked private homes and attacked and annihilated the unwary Japanese pursuit force in a surprise attack.
Signal soldiers stationed throughout the area reported to headquarters that a large Japanese army unit was invading. Accordingly, under the operational order of Commander Hong Beom-do, the headquarters contacted the Korean houses on the road leading to the independence army camp and ordered them to take refuge, and deployed soldiers in layers to the north, south, east, and west of the mountains surrounding the Bongo-dong Valley to hide them. And in order to lure the Japanese army, which was eager to attack the independence army, the squad members led by Lee Hwa-il, a squad leader from the 3rd Platoon of the 2nd Company, were deployed to Goryeoryeong, the road leading to Bongo-dong.

Battle of Fengwudong

The Japanese army, which reached the entrance to Bongo-dong around 8:30 a.m., saw that neither the Ewha-il unit nor the independence army were visible at all, so they judged that everyone had fled to avoid their attack. So, with a somewhat relaxed mind, they continued their movement into the valley, plundering the houses of the Korean village formed at the bottom of the Bongo-dong Valley. At around 1 p.m., the Japanese advance unit entered a position about 300 meters south of Sangchon Village in Bongo-dong. This was a mountain surrounded on three sides by a forest even thicker than the entrance. And the place where the Japanese army's advance unit was located was in the very center of the area where the independence forces were ambushed on the mountains on three sides. As nothing happened to the vanguard unit, the main unit arrived soon after.
When almost the entire force of the Wolgang Pursuit Corps was completely trapped in the independence army's siege, Commander Hong Beom-do fired a signal to signal an attack. In an instant, the independence army opened fire at the same time from the hills on all three sides except the road where the Japanese army entered. The Japanese military command, taken aback by the surprise attack, put two companies, Kamiya Company and Nakanishi Company, at the front and made a desperate charge. And the machine guns were ordered to focus fire on the mountain from which the bullets were flying. However, it was difficult to hit the independence fighters who were firing bullets while concealed between rocks with dense trees and high altitude. The Japanese army, who held out for about three hours in this unfavorable situation, began to retreat as casualties increased as time went by. As the Japanese army retreated, the Independence Army attacked from behind them. The Japanese Army's Wolgang Pursuit Battalion was ultimately defeated, suffering numerous casualties in the Bongo-dong Valley and during the retreat.
After the battle, the results announced by the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea were 157 Japanese dead, 200 seriously injured, and 100 lightly injured. On the other hand, the Independence Army had only 4 dead and 2 seriously injured. It was a complete victory for the Korean independence army. Even before the Battle of Bongo-dong, the Independence Army recorded several victories, including the Battle of Samdunja. However, the Battle of Bongo-dong became the starting point of the war of independence, showing the aggressor Japanese imperialists proof that the Korean people would definitely achieve national liberation. Lim Byeong-geuk was also present at the starting point.