Korean Empire Aegukga

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The Anthem of the Korean Empire (or Korean Empire Aegukga) (대한제국 애국가(大韓帝國 愛國歌)) was the national anthem of the Korean Empire. The anthem was first commissioned by Emperor Gojong in 1901 and presented to the Korean court on July 1, 1902 by German composer Franz Eckert, who happened to be the director of the Korean Empire's military band at the time.^[1] It was published in Germany in five different languages (Korean, German, English, Chinese, and French) and performed for the first time on Septermber 9, 1902 during Emperor Gojong's birthday ceremony.^[2]

The short-lived independence of the Korean Empire, however, meant that the anthem did not become widely available. With the signing of the Eulsa Treaty in 1905 the Korean Empire was well on its way to the inevitable road towards annexation by the Empire of Japan.

Contents 1 Alteration of the Lyrics 2 Lyrics (Japanese modified version) 3 Lyrics (Original version) 4 Notable Differences 5 References 6 See also 7 Links

[edit] Alteration of the Lyrics

Although a so-called 'official' version of the Korean Empire's national anthem was made available by the occupying Japanese forces, the original lyrics to the anthem were not re-discovered until after the end of the period of Japanese rule.^[3] (See Also: Korea under Japanese rule).

[edit] Lyrics (Japanese modified version)

Old Korean	Modern Korean	English
상뎨(上帝)는 우리 황뎨를 도으ᄉᆞ 셩슈무강(聖壽無疆)ᄒᆞᄉᆞ ᄒᆡ옥듀(海屋籌)를 산(山)갓치 ᄡᆞ으시고 위권(威權)이 환영(環瀛)에 뜰치사 오쳔만셰(於千萬歲)에 복녹(福祿)이 일신(日新)케 ᄒᆞ소셔 상뎨(上帝)는 우리 황뎨(皇帝)를 도우소셔	하늘이시여, 우리 황제를 도우소서 성수무강하사 해옥주를 산같이 쌓으시고 위세와 권력이 천하에 떨치사 오천만 대까지 복이 매일 새롭게 하소서 하늘이시여, 우리 황제를 도우소서	God help the Emperor May he live forever Bestow treasures like mountain-piles May his influence and power reach across the world Fifty thousand times may his blessings be renewed every day God help the Emperor

[edit] Lyrics (Original version)

The original lyrics were re-discovered on August 13, 2004 by curator Lee Dong-guk of the Seoul Calligraphy Art Museum.^[4] The surviving specimen was a copy kept by the Korean-American Club of Honolulu-Wahiawa and published in 1910 under the title "KOREAN OLD NATIONAL HYMN" in English and 죠션국가 in Korean.^[5][6][7]

The discovery came as a surpise even in South Korea, where the existence of the original lyrics was unknown until then. The finding was later reported in the mass media and has since then been performed by various K-pop artists. Hawaii has been a source for various pre-Japanese annexation heritage investigations by South Korea since many Korean Empire citizens emigrated to Hawaii before the Japanese annexation. One recent incident involved a Korean Empire emmigree descendant donating a very rare 100+ year old original passport issued by the Korean Empire to South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun during his visit to Hawaii.

The original lyrics are:

Old Korean	Modern Korean	English
샹뎨(上帝)는 우리나라를 도으소셔 영원 무궁토－록 나라 태평(太平)ᄒᆞ고 인민은 안락(安樂)ᄒᆞ야 위권(威權)이 셰상에 떨치－여 독립(獨立) 자유(自由) 부강(富强)을 일신(日新)케ᄒᆞㅂ소셔 샹뎨(上帝)는 우리나라를 도으소셔	하늘이시여, 우리 나라를 도우소서 영원 무궁토록 나라 태평하고 인민은 안락하여 위세와 권력이 세상에 떨치여 독립 자유 부강을 매일 새롭게 하소서 하늘이시여, 우리 나라를 도우소서	God help our Nation May our country be peaceful forever May its people live comfortably May our influence and power reach across the world May independence freedom and wealth be renewed every day God help our Nation

[edit] Notable Differences

The Japanese-Protectorate era version was modified to mirror the Japanese anthem Kimigayo ("May your reign last forever"), which is a prayer for the longevity of the Emperor himself. The original version, however, has the word "nation" (나라) instead of "Emperor" (황뎨(皇帝)) and incorporates a prayer for independence and freedom-- ideas which might have conflicted with Japanese ambitions at the time to annex the Korean Peninsula.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Kimigayo
• South Korean National Anthem

[edit] Links