NAJU CITY

The Naju Righteous Army was at the forefront of the loyalist forces that rose to defend Joseon during the Imjin War. Under the command of Kim Cheon-il, the righteous army departed from Geumseonggwan and advanced to the outskirts of the capital. It then continued its resistance activities from bases in Gyeonggi Province and on Ganghwa Island. The force later joined the Jeolla provincial army led by Kwon Yul and distinguished itself at the Battle of Haengju. Its members exemplified the spirit of Korea’s southern provinces by fighting not merely to defend their homeland but to save the nation.

Led by General Kim Cheon-il, the Naju Righteous Army fought to the death at Jinjuseong Fortress during the Second Battle of Jinju. Its members defended the fortress to protect Honam, which served as a vital logistical and operational base for the national resistance. Their sacrifice was highly significant in the history of Korea’s righteous army movement, helping Honam serve as a forward base in the struggle to overcome the Imjin War.

The people of Naju were skilled in shipbuilding and waterway navigation on the Yeongsangang River. During the Joseon Dynasty, a jeonseonso (naval shipyard) operated in Juksan-ri, Dasi-myeon, Naju. Na Dae-yong, born in Munpyeong-myeon, studied turtle ships and presented Yi Sun-sin with a naval defense proposal in 1591. During the Imjin War, he helped launch a turtle ship and made a major contribution to Joseon’s naval victories.

Members of the Naju Righteous Army, including Choi Uk, Im Hwan, and Jin Gyeong-mun, resisted Japanese forces along the Yeongsangang River during the Jeongyu War, when Jeolla-do came under invasion. They participated in the Siege of Suncheon and the Battle of Gwangyang Bay, the final combined land-and-sea operation of the war. They lost their lives in battle, but their experiences were recorded in a diary and preserved for posterity.

The Honamjeoruirok describes the Yeongsangang River as the “Path of Righteous Grain.” Grain from Naju, one of Korea’s major agricultural regions, was transported along the Yeongsangang River to support the seven-year war effort. This vital contribution by the people of Naju symbolizes the city’s enduring spirit of overcoming national crises.

In March 1896, the first righteous army in the region was raised at Najuhyanggyo Local Confucian School in protest against the Haircutting Decree and the assassination of Empress Myeongseong. Many of its members lost their lives, and the uprising prompted the forced relocation of the provincial government office to Gwangju. Righteous army activities continued until the end of the Japanese suppression campaign in southern Korea in 1909. Their spirit carried forward into subsequent anti-Japanese movements, including the Naju Student Anti-Japanese Movement of 1929, and persisted until Korea’s liberation.

On October 30, 1929, a dispute between Korean and Japanese students at the ticket gate of Naju Station became the catalyst for the Gwangju Student Independence Movement, which grew into a nationwide student movement. Naju was a major site of exploitation under Japanese colonial rule. Its commuting students, already deeply conscious of the need to resist colonial oppression, joined forces with student organizations in Gwangju and helped transform the protest into a nationwide movement.

Jeollanam-do has established the Namdo Righteous Army History Museum in Gongsan-myeon, Naju, one of Korea’s foremost birthplaces of righteous army activity. The museum’s exhibition traces the history of the righteous armies from the earliest activities during the Joseon Dynasty to their anti-Japanese resistance during the Korean Empire, highlighting their efforts to save the nation and protect their communities.