Korean History › Japanese rule › Japanese colonial rule of Korea
Battle of Cheongsanri
October 21–26, 1920 (casualty claims debated)· Battle· Wars & invasions
Mostly agreedGood evidence; some details, dates or numbers uncertain.
A series of clashes in Manchuria in October 1920 in which Korean independence armies fought off a much larger Japanese force.
See it on the Korean History map →What happened
After the Hunchun Incident, Japan sent troops into Jiandao (eastern Manchuria), home to many Koreans, to destroy independence units. Over October 21–26, 1920, near Cheongsanri (청산리), Kim Jwa-jin and Lee Beom-seok's Northern Military Administration and Hong Beom-do's army fought about ten engagements, including Baegunpyeong and Eorangchon, then withdrew. Japanese reprisals that followed, the Gando Massacre, killed many Korean civilians; Korean sources count over 3,000 dead, and estimates vary.
Why it matters
It is celebrated as the greatest Korean armed victory of the colonial era and became a founding story for South Korea's army.
How we know
Japanese army reports, reports by Kim Jwa-jin's unit to the Provisional Government, memoirs such as Lee Beom-seok's, and Chinese local records.
Still debated
Casualties are disputed: Korean accounts claimed over 1,000 or even 3,000 Japanese dead; Japanese reports admitted only a handful, and the true toll is unknown, probably somewhere in between.
Connections (3)
▸Battle of Cheongsanri was a victory against Japanese colonial rule of KoreaMostly agreed
The connection
Korean independence armies in Manchuria, including former Korean Empire soldiers and righteous-army veterans, beat back larger Japanese army units sent to destroy them. The battle showed colonial rule faced armed resistance abroad, but it brought fierce Japanese reprisals on Korean communities in Jiandao and pushed the units to retreat toward Russia.
When and how
Helong county, Jilin, eastern Manchuria, October 21–26, 1920, against a detachment of Japan's 19th Division.
How sure are we?
Korean commanders' reports to the Provisional Government, Japanese army records of the Jiandao expedition, and Chinese local accounts.
Debates and open questions
How decisive a victory it was depends on disputed casualty counts; some historians call it a successful fighting withdrawal rather than a rout.
▸Battle of Cheongsanri was fought by forces that grew after March 1st MovementMostly agreed
The connection
The 1919 protests and their violent suppression convinced many young Koreans that peaceful protest alone would not win independence. Thousands crossed into Manchuria to join armed groups, swelling units like Kim Jwa-jin's Northern Military Administration, which trained officers and gathered rifles, many bought from Czech Legion troops leaving Russia.
When and how
Jiandao (eastern Manchuria) and the Russian Far East, 1919–1920; the Battle of Fengwudong (Bongodong) in June 1920 preceded Cheongsanri.
How sure are we?
Rising membership figures in Japanese intelligence reports after 1919 and records of the armies founded or expanded that year.
Debates and open questions
How many fighters joined because of 1919, rather than through earlier righteous-army networks, is hard to measure from incomplete records.
▸Righteous armies against Japan (1895–1915) supplied veteran fighters for Battle of CheongsanriMostly agreed
The connection
After Japan crushed the righteous armies at home, survivors crossed into Manchuria and the Russian Far East. Hong Beom-do, a righteous army leader from 1907, commanded one of the units at Cheongsanri in 1920; other fighters there came from independence military schools and former Korean army officers rather than uibyeong ranks.
When and how
Jiandao (Gando), Manchuria, 1910–1920; Hong Beom-do's Korean Independence Army and Kim Jwa-jin's Northern Military Administration Office.
How sure are we?
Hong Beom-do's career is well documented; Korean and Japanese records list former uibyeong among the Manchurian units.
Debates and open questions
The share of righteous-army veterans in the 1920 forces is unclear, and both sides' casualty claims at Cheongsanri are disputed.