calendar>>August 19. 2015 Juche 104
DPRK History Society Discloses Japan's Crime Related to Ulmi Incident of 1895
Pyongyang, August 19 (KCNA) -- The History Society of the DPRK Wednesday released a memorandum denouncing the Japanese reactionaries for trying to cover up the despicable crime of the Ulmi Incident of 1895 committed by the Japanese militarists and to evade the responsibility for it.

Branding the Ulmi incident in which the Japanese militarists killed the Empress Myongsong in a brutal and cruel way as a hideous crime gravely violating the sovereignty of the Korean people, the memorandum went on:

At the time of the incident Korea was on the decline owing to the evermore intensified moves of the capitalist powers for aggression and the incompetent rule by the feudal ruling quarters. However, Korea was still maintaining its status as an independent state and exercising its sovereignty.

As for Empress Myongsong, she was the then representative of the state power who was taking the helm of state affairs representing Emperor Kojong.

The Japanese militarists stormed the imperial palace of an independent and sovereign state and cruelly murdered the Empress. This was a hideous crime against humanity as it was wanton violation of sovereignty of Korea and an intolerable infringement upon the dignity of the Korean people.

By committing the Ulmi incident in breach of the basic principles of international law, the Japanese militarists sought to turn Korea into its exclusive colony.

The Ulmi incident was the state-sponsored terrorist crime committed by the then Japanese government. It was proved by all facts including the purpose of the incident, how it was carried out and disposal of the aftermath.

The purpose was to block Czarist Russia's expansion of power toward Korea and realize the ambition for unchallenged domination.

To this end, Japan tried to remove Empress Myongsong, head of pro-Russian group, to easily realize the ambition for aggression.

After finding the murder of Empress Myongsong as the best way for changing the Korean feudal government's pro-Russia policy into the pro-Japanese policy the Japanese militarists planned to assassinate the Empress by the use of pro-Japanese element Pak Yong Hyo, the then minister of internal affairs of the Korean feudal government, through Japanese minister resident to Korea Inoue.

Shocked by the failure of assassinating the empress, the Japanese government directly worked out a plot to kill the Empress in a bid to turn in its favor the policy for aggression of Korea that faced the crisis of total destruction.

The whole process in which the Empress was murdered by Miura-led Japanese murderers fully proved that the Ulmi incident was cooked up by the Japanese government. It was also proved by what Japan did later to deal with the aftermath of the incident.

The Ulmi incident was the brigandish crime showing brutality and shamelessness of the Japanese militarists.

The murder of the Empress was the most brutal and monstrous one unprecedented in the history of the world.

Its brutality and cruelty were proved by the eyewitnesses and testimonies of people in different countries who investigated the fact later.

The then Japanese militarists also admitted its brutality and cruelty.

The shamelessness of the Japanese militarists was fully revealed by the cunning moves they resorted to cover up the truth of the Ulmi incident and shift the blame for the incident on to Koreans.

Nevertheless, the Japanese militarists tried to distort the fact to give impression that it had nothing to do with them under the foolish calculation to evade the responsibility for the crime.

Later the Japanese militarists obtained the exclusive possession of all the historical materials of the Korean feudal government and removed all the records related to the killing of Empress Myongsong so that they would not be an object of future controversies as far as the responsibility for the incident was concerned.

However, no fraud can cover up the historical truth.

The Korean people will never forget the crime related to the Ulmi incident committed by the Japanese militarists but force Japan to make an apology without fail.

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