The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-20
The Emp Yung League
BY FRANK G. CARPENTER.

4 hines at the close of our war with 6pain It is even worse on account of the horde of low class Japanese who are overrunning the country, and in many nases outraging the natives The aver age Corean cannot believe that Japan is anxious to develop this country for his good. and he considers it a patriotic duty In drive out the so-called invaders. There are organized societies of insurgents who have sworn to kill any Japanese soldier or citizen if they catch him apart from his fellows. Small bands of these so- cieties are now scattered all over Corea. They have taken into their ranks the disaffected and rascally officials who have lost their jobs by the Japanese taking hold of the government, as well as idlers and ex-soldiers, and even the old bandit element which has for generations preyed upon the country.
 In the meantime the Japanese army Is doing all it can to wipe out these nsur- gents General Hasegawa, the comman- der-in-chief, has something like 10000 men in the field. These are scattered from one end of Corea to the other, and they shoot or hang the insurgents on sight For time the military policy was to wipe out l every village which was found to be har- boring insurgents, and today all who feed or conceal such men are shot without mercy. Within the past year it is esti- mated that something like 12,000 people have been killed on the charge of being insurgents. The chronicles of the insur- rections and the numbers killed and wounded are published from day to day fin the Seoul Press, which is the organ of the government, and foreigners who have kept account tell me that the deaths are running very close to 1000 per month This seems an enormous num- ber, especially as the authorities say that the conditions are growing better and better and that the rebels, with the ex- ception of bandits and professional bri- Kands, have almost disappeared There is no doubt but that Japan must man. age Corea with a strong hand if she would bring about peace and order, but it is questionable whether her methods are not oversevere.
 Bible Versus the Revolver.
 And still the situation is serious. There are, perhaps, 15,OO0.00O people on this peninsula, and if the feDelion is allowed to go on this guerilla warfare will be
 
 to some extent, divided up into parties. There are a number of pro-Japanese who are accepting the situation, cutting or their topknots and taking advantage Of the new civilization. The rebels consider these men traitors to their country, and they shoot them even more readily than the Japanese themselves. At the same time the pro-Japanese inform upon their enemies among the insurgents and aid the soldiers in hunting them down. ln- deed, it is important for Corean now travelling over the country to show that he is not in favor of the Japanese gov- ernment. If he wears foreign clothes or has cut off his hair he is almost sure to be potted by the rebels sooner or later and he may be shot upon sight
 A curious phase of this situation is that the Corean Christians are supposed to be neutral or not in favor Of the Japanese government For this reason if Corean traveller is met by a band of insurgents he tries to convince them that he belongs to our church. The reb- els make him prove his faith and de- mand that he sing hymn or recite the Lords Prayer. He Is sometimes asked to say the Ten Commandments as well. Indeed. an increased demand for hymn books and Bibles in Corea has sprung up, and many who are not Christians buy these to carry with them over the country They are better than revolverS and often save the life of the owner.
 The Emp Yung League.
 The largest association of these rebels is known as the Emp Yunk league. The people here pronounce 1t Weep Yung It means the ever righteous and patriotic army and it's members are sworn to &ill all Japanese, found alone upon sight, 1t was to this league that the assassins who murdered Durham White Stevens be- longed, and it is said there are branches of it in the Hawaiian islands, in the United States and elsewhere
 The Emp Yungs operate in small bands They have no organized forces and they are merely guerrillas At first they were largely composed Of patriots who had sworn to die for their country They are now made up of the dissatisfied of all sorts. Many of them are ex- soldiers of the Corean army, which was disbanded by the Japanese at the time when they deposed the old Emperor and put his son in his place. They have no money, and live on the villages. This fact puts the peaceAloving Corean between the devil and the deep sea- When a band of rebels comes to him and de- mands money or food he replies that he dare not give 1t, for the Japanese sol diers will shoot him aa soon as they learn he has helped the insurgents There upon the rebels reply: Well, if you | don't give us what we want we will kill l you right now. If you give up, you have | at any rate the chance of living day or 50 longer Otherwise you will dfe." The 1 rebels mean what they say and the vil- l liagers know 1t. They give, and In many l cases are actually slaughtered by the l Japanese soldiers for giving. Indeed, ! am told that many of the so-called in- | surgents whose deaths are reported in | the newspapers are members of villages l who have thus forcibly been made to | harbor insurgents.
 The Soldiers and the Christians.
 The soldiers are instructed to put down | the insurgents, and they have trouble |
 he native Christians are generally neu- |
 al, but the soldiers suspect them Not | long ago they surrounded a church far | off in the interior, where 300 people were ] worshiping The officer instructed the | pastor to go on with his devotions, but | as soon as church was over he corralled | the members as they came out and asked l their names. As he did so he looked | over list of the suspects in the neigh 1 borhood and checked the names off At 1 the close he let them all go. He said ] these people are all Christians and must | not be molested.
 Another chuch was less mercifully | treated the soldiers stopping the congre-~ gation and tearing up the hymn books. l What provocation they had I do not | know.
 From a large army like this, scattered | in small bands over the. country, away | <ror, thair officarS. there are hot1pd to