# Yi Tonghwi

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{{Short description|Korean communist (1873–1935)}}
{{Distinguish|Lee Dong-hwi}}
thumb|Yi Tonghwi 
'''Yi Tonghwi''' ({{Korean|hangul=이동휘|hanja=李東煇}}; 1873 – 31 January 1935) was a Korean politician who served as the second [Prime Minister](/source/Prime_Minister) of the [Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea](/source/Provisional_Government_of_the_Republic_of_Korea). He led armed actions against the [Empire of Japan](/source/Empire_of_Japan) in an attempt to liberate Korea.

==Early life==
Yi Tonghwi was born in [Tanchon](/source/Tanchon), [Korean Empire](/source/Korean_Empire), in 1873.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Korean Culture}} He was a [Protestant Christian](/source/Protestantism).{{sfn|Park|2003|p=142}} He started to study [Chinese characters](/source/Chinese_characters) at age 8. He became an errand boy for the governor of the [South Hamgyong Province](/source/South_Hamgyong_Province) at age 18. He attended a military academy in Seoul and became a lieutenant colonel in the [Imperial Korean Armed Forces](/source/Imperial_Korean_Armed_Forces).{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Korean Culture}}

==Career==
The [Japan–Korea Treaty of 1907](/source/Japan%E2%80%93Korea_Treaty_of_1907) dissolved Korea's military, but Yi opposed this and organised a volunteer army on Ganghwa Island with Yeon Gi-u and Kim Dong-su. However, they were captured and exiled. An American missionary was able to secure Yi's release in October and he left for Manchuria.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Korean Culture}}

Yi fought against the [Empire of Japan](/source/Empire_of_Japan)'s [annexation](/source/Japan%E2%80%93Korea_Treaty_of_1910) of Korea as a member of the [righteous armies](/source/righteous_armies). He went into exile with several hundred soldiers into northern Korea, Manchuria, and then the [Russian Far East](/source/Russian_Far_East).{{sfn|Armstrong|2003|pp=20-21}} He was arrested for being involved in the [105-Man Incident](/source/105-Man_Incident) in 1911, but was released without charges.{{sfn|Encyclopedia of Korean Culture}}

Yi was among the founding members of the [New People's Association](/source/New_People's_Association).{{sfn|Park|2003|p=130}} Yi was one of the founding members of the [Korean Socialist Party](/source/Korean_Socialist_Party) in [Khabarovsk](/source/Khabarovsk) on 26 June 1918,{{sfn|Suh|1967|p=8}} and sought support from the [Bolsheviks](/source/Bolsheviks).{{sfn|Robinson|1988|p=109}} The party opposed the [Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea](/source/Provisional_Government_of_the_Republic_of_Korea) and passed a resolution baring its members from joining it on 25 April 1919. Yi became disillusioned with the party and left to join the provisional government in Shanghai on 30 August.{{sfn|Suh|1967|pp=8-9}}

Yi was selected to serve as prime minister of the provisional government when it was founded in Shanghai.{{sfn|Buswell|Lee|2006|p=136}} Yi led one of the three factions in the provisional government, with [Syngman Rhee](/source/Syngman_Rhee) and [Ahn Chang Ho](/source/Ahn_Chang_Ho) leading the other two.{{sfn|Robinson|1988|p=48}} Yi supported raising funds to fund military actions against the Japanese in the 1920s{{sfn|Robinson|1984|p=136}} and using Siberia and Manchuria as training grounds.{{sfn|Suh|1967|p=12}} He served as prime minister from 1919 to January 1921, when he broke from the provisional government.{{sfn|Santos|Santos|2025|p=81}} The provisional government denounced Yi on 26 January 1922.{{sfn|Suh|1967|p=19}}

Yi formed the [Korean Communist Party](/source/Korean_Communist_Party) in 1920,{{sfn|Robinson|1988|p=48}} and members from the Korean Socialist Party joined the party on 10 January 1921. The 1st Party Congress was held in May 1921, after working on the party's platform for months.{{sfn|Suh|1967|p=15}} This platform condemned both the [League of Nations](/source/League_of_Nations) and [Second International](/source/Second_International).{{sfn|Suh|1967|p=16}} The party claimed to have 1,000 members by April 1922.{{sfn|Suh|1967|p=20}}

==Death==
Yi died in Vladivostok on 31 January 1935.{{sfn|Scalapino|Lee|1972|p=146}} He was reinterned at the [Seoul National Cemetery](/source/Seoul_National_Cemetery) in 2007, and the [Order of Merit for National Foundation](/source/Order_of_Merit_for_National_Foundation) was given to him.{{sfn|72nd Memorial Ceremony for Independence Activist Lee Dong-hwi|2007}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Works cited==
{{refbegin|30em}}

===Books===
* {{cite book |last=Armstrong |first=Charles |title=The North Korean Revolution, 1945–1950 |publisher=[Cornell University Press](/source/Cornell_University_Press) |date=2003 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt32b4bg |isbn=9780801489143}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Buswell |editor-first1=Robert |editor-last2=Lee |editor-first2=Timothy |title=Christianity in Korea |publisher=[University of Hawai'i Press](/source/University_of_Hawai'i_Press) |date=2006 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt6wr2rg |isbn=9780824861896}}
* {{cite book |last=Park |first=Chung-Shin |title=Protestantism and Politics in Korea |publisher=[University of Washington Press](/source/University_of_Washington_Press) |date=2003 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvcwnjjn |isbn=9780295802084}}
* {{cite book |last=Robinson |first=Michael |title=Cultural Nationalism in Colonial Korea, 1920-1925 |publisher=[University of Washington Press](/source/University_of_Washington_Press) |date=1988 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvcwnf4h |isbn=9780295805146}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Santos |editor-first1=Aurora |editor-last2=Santos |editor-first2=Yvette |title=The League of Nations Experience: Overlapping Readings |publisher=[De Gruyter](/source/De_Gruyter) |date=2025 |url=https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111063973 |isbn=9783111063973}}
* {{cite book |last1=Scalapino |first1=Robert |author-link1=Robert A. Scalapino |last2=Lee |first2=Chong-Sik |author-link2=Chong-Sik Lee |title=Communism in Korea: Part 1: The Movement |publisher=[University of California Press](/source/University_of_California_Press) |date=1972 |isbn=0520020804}}
* {{cite book |last=Suh |first=Dae-sook |author-link=Suh Dae-sook |title=The Korean Communist Movement: 1918-1948 |publisher=[Princeton University Press](/source/Princeton_University_Press) |date=1967}}

===Journals===
* {{cite journal |last=Robinson |first=Michael |title=National Identity and the Thought of Sin Ch'aeho: Sadaejuŭi and Chuch'e in History and Politics |journal=[The Journal of Korean Studies](/source/The_Journal_of_Korean_Studies) |publisher=[Duke University Press](/source/Duke_University_Press) |date=1984 |volume=5 |issue= |pages=121-142 |doi=10.2307/41490188 |jstor=41490188 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41490188 |url-access=subscription}}

===News===
* {{Cite news |date=31 January 2007 |title=72nd Memorial Ceremony for Independence Activist Lee Dong-hwi |work=[Naver](/source/Naver) |url=https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/001/0001535473?sid=102 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250714202432/https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/001/0001535473?sid=102 |archive-date=14 July 2025 |ref={{harvid|72nd Memorial Ceremony for Independence Activist Lee Dong-hwi|2007}}}}

===Web===
* {{Cite web |title=이동휘 (李東輝) |publisher=[Encyclopedia of Korean Culture](/source/Encyclopedia_of_Korean_Culture) |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0044080 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250621120644/https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0044080 |archive-date=21 June 2025 |ref={{harvid|Encyclopedia of Korean Culture}}}}
{{refend}}

{{Presidents of South Korea}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yi, Tonghwi}}
Category:1873 births
Category:1935 deaths
Category:Korean politicians
Category:Korean socialists
Category:Korean expatriates in the Soviet Union
Category:Imperial Korean military personnel
Category:Members of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
Category:Burials at Seoul National Cemetery
Category:Koryo-saram activists for Korean independence
Category:Koryo-saram politicians

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Yi Tonghwi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_Tonghwi) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_Tonghwi?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.