Many Korean dramas wrap a storyline around Korea's Independence Movement. Some are fiction, some are fact, and some are fiction with fact mixed in.
In the 2019 K-drama “Different Dreams”, three organizations are mentioned in the very first episode, and they were real historical organizations. They weren't simply fictional groups created for K-drama storytelling.
1. Korean Provisional Government (KPG)
- Established: April 11, 1919.
- Location: Shanghai, China.
- Purpose: To establish a Korean government in exile and work toward independence from Japanese colonial rule.
2. Korean Patriotic Corps (Han-in Aegukdan)
NOTE: The organization likely could not have predicted that in August 1945, Emperor Hirohito surrendered at the end of World War II, after the USA dropped two atomic bombs on Japan - Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Additionally, the Soviet Union also declared war on Japan and invaded Japanese-held territory.
- Established: 1931, in Shanghai.
- Leader: Kim Gu (Kim Koo).
- Affiliation: Closely associated with, and organized under the direction of, the Korean Provisional Government.
- Purpose: To carry out high-profile resistance operations against Japanese colonial authorities.
NOTE: The organization likely could not have predicted that in August 1945, Emperor Hirohito surrendered at the end of World War II, after the USA dropped two atomic bombs on Japan - Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Additionally, the Soviet Union also declared war on Japan and invaded Japanese-held territory.
3. Kim Won-bong's Heroic Corps (Uiyeoldan)
- Korean name: Uiyeoldan
- Established: November 10, 1919.
- Location: Jilin, China.
- Founder and leader: Kim Won-bong.
- Purpose: To resist Japanese colonial rule through militant independence activities. Methods: Sabotage, attacks on colonial government facilities, and targeted actions against Japanese officials.
♦ IMPORTANT FIGURES:
Kim Won-bong and Kim Gu were both important figures in the Korean Independence Movement, but they represented different organizational approaches to resistance. Their political and organizational paths were not identical.
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Good Historical References:
- National Library of Korea – Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
- South Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs – The Provisional Government
- National Museum of Korea – The Provisional Government and Independence Movement
- Korean History – Korean Patriotic Corps (English historical archive)
- Korean History Database – Han-in Aegukdan
- Cultural Heritage Administration – History of the Korean independence movement
- Korean History – Uiyeoldan (Korean-language historical archive)
- National Institute of Korean History – History of the Uiyeoldan
- A History of Korea – Understanding Korea Series (English PDF)
FINAL HISTORICAL NOTE:
What About the Missing Russian Funds?
Also mentioned in “Different Dreams” was an incident about missing Russian funds that had been sent to support the Independence Movement. This is an actual historical controversy. There really was Russian/Soviet money intended to support the Korean independence movement, and a substantial portion became the subject of a bitter dispute over who received it and how it was spent.
Historical accounts describe an initial Soviet commitment of approximately 2 million rubles. Amounts differ from other sources. Regardless of the amount, the controversy remains. Some officials accused others of diverting money for personal purposes. The controversy contributed to divisions within the independence movement. The story is generally known as the Lenin Funds Incident or the Comintern Funds Incident.
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Good Historical References:
Academy of Korean Studies – The Comintern Funds Incident. An excellent historical overview of the controversy.
National Institute of Korean History – Documents of the Korean Provisional Government. Particularly interesting because it discusses the 600,000 rubles, the people who handled the money, and the subsequent accounting disputes.
Early Financial Operations of the Shanghai Provisional Government. An academic study examining Soviet financial assistance and the government's financial difficulties.
Policies of Soviet Russia toward the Provisional Government of Korea (2024 research paper) . A more recent scholarly examination of the relationship.
Also mentioned in “Different Dreams” was an incident about missing Russian funds that had been sent to support the Independence Movement. This is an actual historical controversy. There really was Russian/Soviet money intended to support the Korean independence movement, and a substantial portion became the subject of a bitter dispute over who received it and how it was spent.
Historical accounts describe an initial Soviet commitment of approximately 2 million rubles. Amounts differ from other sources. Regardless of the amount, the controversy remains. Some officials accused others of diverting money for personal purposes. The controversy contributed to divisions within the independence movement. The story is generally known as the Lenin Funds Incident or the Comintern Funds Incident.
**
Good Historical References:
Academy of Korean Studies – The Comintern Funds Incident. An excellent historical overview of the controversy.
National Institute of Korean History – Documents of the Korean Provisional Government. Particularly interesting because it discusses the 600,000 rubles, the people who handled the money, and the subsequent accounting disputes.
Early Financial Operations of the Shanghai Provisional Government. An academic study examining Soviet financial assistance and the government's financial difficulties.
Policies of Soviet Russia toward the Provisional Government of Korea (2024 research paper) . A more recent scholarly examination of the relationship.
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