The Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai and Prince Ui-chin: Focusing on the provision “favoring the former royal family” and Prince Ui-chin's exile to Shanghai

Prince Ui-chin(Yi Gang) was a figure positively regarded among Koreans for his strong anti-Japanese sentiment and potential to play a central role in the independence movement. In November 1919, the Daedongdan(Union of Great Unity), an anti-Japanese independence organization, initiated a plan for the prince to escape the country to Shanghai in China. However, this plan ultimately failed, leading to the arrest of key figures like Jeon Hyeop, which resulted in the organizational collapse of the Daedongdan. The plan for Prince Ui-chin's exile to Shanghai can be seen as having been pursued with the support and cooperation of the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai. During discussions about whether to include provision “favoring the former royal family” in the “Provisional Charter(Imsi Heonjang)”(April 11, 1919) and the “Provisional Constitution(Imsi Heonbeop)”(September 11, 1919), it is likely that officials of the Provisional Government shared a friendly stance toward royal family members. In this context, there was a shared recognition among members of the Provisional Government that attracting royalty, nobility, and former high-ranking officials would enhance the domestic and international standing of the government. At that time, officials of the Provisional Government and the Provisional Assembly were divided on the issue of the “favoring the former royal family” provision; however, they ultimately agreed to include it. The exile of Prince Ui-chin occurred in an atmosphere where a friendly attitude towards the former royal family was already shared among key figures in the Shanghai Provisional Government. The Japanese colonial authorities sought to distort Prince Ui-chin's anti-Japanese intentions and minimize the significance of the exile incident through its own media and diplomacy. However, the National Assembly of the Provisional Government decided to translate and publicize the prince's “personal letter(chinseo)” to promote it both domestically and internationally. The Dongnip Sinmun(Independence), reported on the exile multiple times, greatly highlighting the incident. In particular, the Independence, through an interview with Gim Ga-jin, the chairman of the Daedongdan and a close associate of the prince who had already fled to Shanghai on Octorber 30, 1919, exposed the fabrications of the Japanese side and revealed Prince Ui-chin's true anti-Japanese consciousness and intention to seek exile.