The study examines the Donheonyugo and Kwankyeon, materials related to the Independent Military Government organized in the 1910s. The most important sources used in the study of the Independent Military Government are the Donheonyugo, a collection of works by Lim Byeongchan compiled in 1957, and Kwankyeon included in the Donheonyugo. The compiler of Donheonyugo is Lim Byeongchan’s son, Lim Eungcheol. He participated in the Taein Army and the Independent Military Government alongside his father. After Lim Byeongchan was arrested due to his activities with the Independent Military Government and died in 1916 on Geomundo Island, Lim Eungcheol continued to promote the revival of the Independent Military Government. After the March 1st Movement in 1919, he joined the Joseon Minjok Daedongdan and endured imprisonment.
Lim Eungcheol was imprisoned, and after his release, he collected Lim Byeongchan’s materials and compiled the Donheonjib in 1925. The Donheonyugo was not newly compiled but was published based on the Donheonjib held by his descendants. The Donheonjib is also preserved by the National Institute of Korean History. The version of the Donheonjib held bythe National Institute of Korean History was transcribed by the Joseon Historical Compilation Committee during the Japanese occupation. However, there are differences in structure and content between the version held by the descendants, the NIKH version, and the Donheonyugo. This is because, during the process of compiling the Donheonyugo in 1957, certain materials were selected and some content was revised.
Kwankyeon is a strategy document of the Independent Military Government written by Lim Byeongchan in November 1913. The versions of Kwankyeon differ between the one held by his descendants, the one held by the National Institute of Korean History in the Donheonjib, and the one included in the Donheonyugo. The National Institute of Korean History version of the Donheonjib is in classical Chinese, while the versions held by the descendants and in the Donheonyugo are in a mix of classical Chinese and Korean. However, the versions held by the descendants and in the Donheonyugo do not include the Kwankyeon written during the activities of the Independent Military Government. The Kwankyeon held by the descendants and the Gyuujanggak Library were written during the Independent Military Government’s activities. However, the Kwankyeon held by the descendants and in the Gyuujanggak Library does not include the title ‘Daehan Doklipuikunbu Gwanje’ which refers to the organization name of the Greater Korean Independent Military Government. The name Daehan Doklipuikunbu was created during the compilation process of the Donheonyugo.
Doklipuikunbu was establishing various strategies, with the primary one being armed resistance. However, Kwankyeon represents Lim Byeongchan’s perspective and was written without prior consultation with the leadership of the Independent Military Government. Lim Byeongchan believed that in order to implement his Kwankyeon, it was necessary to consult with the leadership, so he traveled to Seoul in the spring of 1914. In March 1914, Lim Byeongchan selected representatives for the Independent Military Government and, based on the Kwankyeon, worked on securing members and raising funds. However, he was arrested in May 1914.
The core of Kwankyeon was the movement to gather signatures for a petition. However, the goal of the Independent Military Government was the restoration of the nation (復國), and the strategy to achieve this goal was armed resistance. The Independent Military Government pursued strategies such as armed resistance, demonstrations, and gathering signatures. Lim Byeongchan wrote the Kwankyeon to execute the gathering of signatures strategy. Therefore, it should be reconsidered to view the Independent Military Government solely as an organization pushing for strategies like the signature gathering movement or local agreements.