Joong-gun
Joong-Gun was named for An Joong-Gun. Very little is recorded about An Joong-Gun's life. He stepped in the spotlight of Korean history only briefly, but left his mark as one of Korea's most revered patriots. His story is best understood in the context of the turbulent political climate of the times.
An Joong-Gun was born in 1879 in the town of Hae-Ju in Hwang-Hae Province. An's family moved to the town of Sin-Chun in Pyong-An Province when he was about ten years old. He became a well known educator and established his own school called the Sam-Heung (Three Success) School. His school, like others at that time, was destined for hardships under the Japanese military Occupation of Korea and became enmeshed in a Japanese power play by virtue of its location. In 1895, the Japanese government was determined to create a large empire that would include Manchuria and China. Korea was obviously necessary as a stepping-stone for creating this empire. However, the Korean government the time was under the indirect control of the Russian government. The pressure created by this political situation caused considerable unrest in Korea. Rising tension resulted in several meetings from 1896 to l898 among neighboring countries as well as foreign powers concerned about Korea's future. These meetings, which included Japan, China, Russia, England, and the United States, resolved very little.
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