Independence activist Ahn Jung-geun's calligraphy returns to Seoul

A rare calligraphic work penned by Korean independence activist Ahn Jung-geun will be displayed in Seoul for the first time in over a century. The National Palace Museum of Korea revealed plans to host an exhibition titled "A Solitary Encounter: Eight Characters Left by Ahn Jung-geun" at its gallery in central Seoul. The showcase begins on Tuesday and will run until December 27th, commemorating the 117th anniversary of Ahn's assassination of Hirobumi Ito, Japan's first prime minister and resident-general during Korea's 1910-45 colonial rule.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a scroll featuring eight Chinese characters that Ahn inscribed in March 1910 while incarcerated in Lushun, China. The calligraphy reads, "International law falls short of cannon fire," expressing Ahn's frustration with the ineffectiveness of international treaties in protecting the sovereignty of weaker nations against foreign aggression during an era of imperial expansion. The scroll made its way back to Korea in November 2025 through a repatriation process conducted overseas.