Eugene Choi

Eugene Choi (1862-1907), born Choi Yoo-jin, was a Korean-American soldier. He distinguished himself while serving as a Captain in the US Marine Corps during the Spanish-American War, and, in 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him acting US Consul to Joseon.

Biography[]

Choi Yoo-jin was born in Joseon Korea in 1862, the son of enslaved parents who worked on the estate of the powerful nobleman Kim Pan-seo. In 1871, when Yoo-jin was nine years old, his father was sentenced to death for attempting to escape the estate with his wife after overhearing Kim's intent to have Yoo-jin's mother divorce his father and remarry to the nobleman Lee Se-hoon, who coveted her for himself. Yoo-jin attempted to rescue his father, only for Kim to have his guards savagely kick Yoo-jin. Yoo-jin's mother rose from the ground and took Kim's daughter-in-law hostage, cutting part of her neck with a pin and threatening to kill her unless Kim let Yoo-jin live. A tearful Yoo-jin was told to run away by his mother, or else her death would be in vain; Yoo-jin evaded Kim's arrows and ran off, while his mother threw herself into a well to ensure that she would not be taken alive. Kim sent the slave hunters Kim Il-sik and Bae Choon-sik after Yoo-jin, who made his way through the countryside by himself. He eventually reached the home of the potter Hwang Eun-san, and he attempted to convince Hwang to let him have two units of rice and stay the night in exchange for a talisman which his mother had taken from Kim's daughter-in-law and given to him as a means of paying for food. Hwang refused to help him, as the talisman was obviously stolen, and he would thus be unable to resell it; however, just then, he was visited by an American missionary, Joseph W. Stenson, who came with the American expedition to Korea to buy chinaware from Hwang.

Hwang persuaded a reluctant Stenson to take Yoo-jin to safety in America after a tearful and afraid Yoo-jin revealed his parents' fate to Hwang, and Stenson brought Yoo-jin with him to New York City. There, Yoo-jin persuaded Stenson to let him stay with him in exchange for teaching Stenson the Korean language for three years, upon which Stenson would return to Korea. Stenson took a liking to Yoo-jin's name, saying that they had the same name in America ("Eugene"), which meant "the great and noble". As he grew up, Eugene was frequently physically assaulted by racist white children, but he befriended his Japanese neighbor Takashi Mori, one of the few other Asians living in New York during the early 1870s. One day, a passing African-American US Army soldier sympathetic to Eugene's plight threw him a chocolate bar to cheer him up. While another boy stole the chocolate bar, Eugene bragged that he had something else, a way to become an American; he intended to join the Army.

In 1898, Choi was sent to Puerto Rico with a New York volunteer infantry regiment after the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. He distinguished himself at the Battle of El Caney, where he saved the life of Major Kyle Moore during the bayonet charge against the Spanish Army fortifications. As a result, Choi was promoted to the rank of Captain.

In 1902, Choi and Moore, who was rendered unable to shoot a gun due to his hand injury, were summoned to Washington DC, where they met President Theodore Roosevelt at the White House and were assigned to lead a diplomatic mission to Joseon. Choi was assigned to assassinate Logan Taylor, a former member of the American legation in Japan who had become a foreign affairs advisor to Joseon and was selling information to the Japanese. Choi deduced that, if the operation succeeded, all credit would go to America, but, if the operation failed, the blame would be on Joseon due to Choi's origins.

Choi sailed to Hanseong, where he stayed at the Glory Hotel, owned by Hina Kudo. He spied on Taylor at a cafe and discovered that he would be drinking with a Joseon official at the Hwawollu bar in Jongno. That night, Choi - clad in black and masked - was preparing to shoot Taylor with a sniper rifle when another assassin shot Taylor first. Choi and the other masked assassin came face-to-face before escaping, and Choi later came across the noblewoman Go Ae-shin on the streets when the new American-supplied streetlights turned on for the first time. Choi suspected that Go was the other assassin, but Go treated Choi like a foreigner due to his dress, insolent tone, and inability to recognize her as a noblewoman, and the two parted ways as Go's servants ran up to her and asked her to seek warmth indoors. Choi went on to present his credentials to the interpreter Im Gwan-soo the next day and attend Taylor's funeral, where he met the minister Horace Newton Allen as the service concluded. After being formally told about Taylor's assassination, Choi resolved to round up the hundreds of people who had come in by train to see the streetlights being activated, and he interviewed them for knowledge about the perpetrator. He grew interested when he heard Go Ae-shin be mentioned, as it caused other people in the room to protest the suggestion that she had anything to do with the murder.

Go ultimately agreed to Choi's summons, only to be surprised that the man she had met in Jongno was the acting US Consul. She sat in Choi's chair to assert the power of Korea over America, but Choi stoically proceeded to question her about the assassination of Taylor. After having Go's servants and Im wait outside, Eugene asked Go if she chose the night of Taylor's murder to coincide with the power generators, which would muffle the bullets, revealing that he knew she was the killer. He also raised his hand near Go's face so that he could only see her eyes, and she did the same to Choi; the two of them realized that they were the masked assassins who had seen each other. Go asked Choi if he was from the Righteous Army or the Righteous Bandits, before once again feigning ignorance; Choi then said that she could leave. After Go was gone, Choi asked Im why everyone knew Go, and Im said that Go was the youngest daughter of a prestigious family; her grandfather Go Sa-hong was Emperor Gojong's mentor and an Official of Integrity. During famines, Go would feed starving people with rice from her own stock, and all men and women of Hanseong adored her for being ignorant of the ways of the world.

He later sat down for lunch with Im, who said that the death of Taylor seemed suspicious, as Taylor was an American who worked for Joseon and was pro-Japanese, and said that an American might be behind his death. Choi asked why an American would want Taylor dead, so Im said that the Japanese likely did it, as the Black Dragon Society had searched Taylor's house after his death, while Taylor's family had taken refuge with Minister Allen. When Choi asked about the Black Dragon Society, a sword was drawn on Im by a samurai nearby, and Im explained that the Black Dragon Society's members were known to draw swords without warning, and to dress like the samurai. The samurai told Choi to keep eating and stay out of their affairs as they took Im away to serve as their interpreter, and Choi ignored Im's pleas as he was escorted away. However, Choi ultimately followed them and forced them to leave Im alone after drawing a pistol to answer to their swords. Choi then told Im to lead him to where the yakuza were taking him, as it was curious that the yakuza would seek a man who didn't speak Japanese to serve as their interpreter. A terrified Im led Choi to Jingogae, where he got into a standoff with the yakuza until their leader Sho Ishida revealed himself and spoke with Choi. When Choi asked Ishida why he needed an interpreter, Ishida said that he was never paid for his work, as his client, an American, was shot to death. He revealed that the four men shot to death while protecting Logan were his family, and he said that he wanted an interpreter to help him write a pleading letter to speak with Taylor's widow. Choi allowed for the yakuza to borrow Im's services, knowing that he would be left alive, lest the yakuza get into trouble with the police.

The next day, Choi decided to visit the potter Hwang Eun-san once again, and, along the way, he met Go again. He paddled her boat across the river to visit Hwang, and he did not remind Hwang of his identity, although he hinted that he remembered Hwang from before; Hwang was angered that the Western-dressed man was being rude to him, even though Choi pointed out that Hwang had been rude to him up until he realized that he was important. He also overheard Go say that the gunner Jang Seung-goo wished for her to say hello, and he saw her buy cracked pottery from Hwang. On the boat ride back, Choi pointed out the unusual nature of Go being friends with a gunner and buying cracked pottery, deducing that the useless pottery must be used for shooting practice. Go then asked why Choi had gone to the kiln site, as he did not buy anything, and Choi revealed that he knew Hwang, but Hwang seemed to have forgotten about him. Choi then pointed out that Russian bolt action rifles were long-barreled and had strong recoil, so they were hard to maneuver if one was petite. However, they were more accurate than German rifles. Choi then stopped talking, saying that Go might not be following; however, he knew that she must be a resistance fighter. She then said that people said that they were living in the Romantic area, desiring French clothing and imported goods, but her romance was in the muzzle of a German rifle. She also said that, when she first saw Choi that first night, it must have been romantic, and Choi said that a woman from one of Joseon's most noble families shouldn't make such a remark. She laughed, but she said that it was nice to meet him, and she told Choi to let her know if he ever needed porcelain bowls, as she did not know that she had a comrade so nearby.

He later met Go again at a tailor, where he aimed to buy more clothing for his stay in Korea. There, he asked why Go called him a comrade, and she said that an American and four Japanese were killed that night, yet Choi did not have her arrested. Choi said that he killed Taylor because he dishonored America, and Go said that he dishonored Joseon; however, Choi asked if Joseon had any honor to lose, whilst concealing his motive for hating Joseon. He then revealed that the objective behind killing Taylor was to frame his death on the remnants of the Righteous Army, causing an awkward moment of tension, and causing Go sadness, as she privately began to develop feelings for Choi. The two then parted ways, only to reunite on the train to Chemulpo after Choi and a detachment of American troops searched the passengers on the train for weapons. Choi said that he was searching for an American rifle that went missing on the train, and Go was confused why a man from Joseon was wearing an American uniform. Choi said that he never said that he was from Joseon, and he revealed that he was a Captain of the US Marine Corps. Go then asked Choi if he killed Taylor as an excuse to bring American troops into Joseon, and she insulted him for threatening Korean people on Joseon's soil. When Go asked if it was even true that a rifle went missing, Choi said that a box of sniper rifles in the freight car was torn apart, and only one of the rifles was missing. He then told Go not to draw attention, as American guns treated nobles and slaves just the same, and he said, "That is democracy." However, on the train, Choi told Go that America and Korea's objectives sometimes converged, and cryptically asked if the Righteous Bandits and the Righteous Army were her only allies. He then told her that he would merely search the train rather than punish anyone, as it would not be good for either the USA or Joseon if things got out of hand.

Choi later bumped into Go when she visited the Glory Hotel, where Choi and the non-commissioned officers were staying; Go was searching for her gambling cousin at the time. Choi also noticed Go speaking with Ishida in front of the hotel, and Kudo said that she would tell him the story later. Choi later had the witnesses to the rifle theft assembled for an interview, and he was able to make a composite sketch of the suspect. Im even brought in Go without Choi's orders, and Choi told Go that he didn't ask for her to be brought there. When he asked if she had seen someone strange on the train, she described him instead, saying that she was not sure if he was either an ally or foe. She refused to be of help to Choi,who said that she would be considered an accomplice, but he again refused to arrest her.

Choi used the sketch of the suspect and found that it matched a Japanese soldier who was beating a young girl for bumping into him. While Choi walked with Moore, Choi came across a crying boy who asked for Choi's help, and Choi recognized the Japanese soldier, saying that the artist drew better than Leonardo da Vinci. He proceeded to beat down the two Japanese soldiers and rescue the children, but, on the way out of the marketplace, Choi noticed Kim Pan-seo's son Kim An-pyeong walking to the docks, reigniting Choi's desire for revenge, which he had told Moore about. Choi decided to visit the former slave hunters Il-sik and Choon-sik, who had cofounded the "Anything You Want" grocery store, and he paid them to lead him to the Kim family of Ganghwa Island; they said that the family was famous for ripping off farmers and collecting kickbacks from government jobs. They then recalled how they had spared a 10-year-old slave the family owned years before, as the child was quaking with fear while hiding in a basket; as a result, Kim had them beaten, and their reputation plummeted. After they told Choi where the family lived, Choi set out for their home; when Im approached Choi, Choi ignored Im and told him that he was headed out to seek revenge.

When Choi arrived at the estate, he found out that Lord Kim had died of illness ten years earlier, and he revealed his identity to An-pyeong and his wife, Lady Yun, by throwing them the talisman his mother had stolen from Lady Yun years before. Lady Yun collapsed in horror, and Choi proceeded to aim a gun at An-pyeong and demand to know where his parents were buried. An-pyeong revealed that they had been buried together in a mass grave, and Choi decided to spare the couple on the condition that they recover the bodies of his parents and then send news to the American legation. Back at the American legation, Choi had to ward off Japanese intruders led by Kanemaru Tsuda and Hasa Yamada, the two officers he beat down earlier, when they demanded that Choi come with him to stand before a military investigation; after the Japanese were threatened with war, they backed down. Shortly after, Im provided Choi with a list of Korean gunners so that Choi could search for the rifle thief, and Choi remembered the name "Gunner Jang" from his and Go's visit to Hwang Eun-san. He decided to visit the Gunner in the mountains, and, along the way, he once again met with Go, confirming his suspicion that she was training to be a rebel. He asked her of her motivations for fighting, and she said that Joseon had held out against foreign invasions for 500 years, and it needed someone to fight for it.

Eventually, Kim An-pyeong sent one of his father's former guards - the killer of Eugene's parents - to Hanseong to tell Eugene of the site of his parents' burial. Eugene treated the man coldly, even as he greeted Eugene warmly, and Eugene had the man take him to the burial hill on Ganghwa Island. Along the way, Choi unknowingly met Gunner Jang while atop another burial hill, borrowing some of his water. When he reached his parents' burial hill, he found the graves were covered with overgrown foliage, and he cried when he heard that his parents' killer had not come to the grave in 30 years; the guard pleaded for mercy, saying that a slave was always a slave, and he was never permitted to tend to Eugene's parents' graves. On his way back, Choi once again talked with Gunner Jang, who was visiting his father's gravesite, and Eugene revealed that he had visited his parents, who were slaves during their lifetimes.

Choi returned to Hanseong and found a letter from Stenson, discovering that Stenson was in Hamgyeong and would be able to visit him sometime soon. Not long after, Choi was told that Taylor's widow's home had been bought by Lee Wan-ik, who had his yakuza associates search the house for a certificate implicating Emperor Gojong in the opening of a slush fund in a Russo-Chinese bank. The search failed, but Choi, Sho Ishida, and Go's fiancee Kim Hui-seong had a chance run-in in the lobby of the Glory Hotel. Kim grew suspicious of Choi because Go frequently visited the American legation, and the situation nearly devolved into a three-way standoff before Kudo suggested that, if they were to fight, they should take it outside.

That night, Choi caught Go sneaking into the legation with the stolen rifle bound in cloth, as Jang did not wish for the rebels to be seen as thieves. Choi decided not to punish Go, but instead to walk out of the legation with her, side-by-side, to ensure that she was protected. Go, touched by Choi's decision to spare her again, once again asked if he felt love towards her, and he finally nodded before they parted. The next day, Choi told Moore that the rifle had been returned, resolving the issue. Later that day, he met with the same servant of Kim's from before, whose wife bade him bring Eugene a knife Eugene had carved as a child, and he also revealed that Eugene's parents were killed in a conspiracy by the current Foreign Minister, Lee Se-hoon, to lust after Choi's mother. While riding down the road, Choi came across Lee being carried on a litter by Joseon soldiers, so Choi charged his horse at the palanquin, causing the men to drop the palanquin and Lee into a puddle, as the horse jumped over and rode off.

One night, Choi found Soo-mi, the young girl who had been assaulted by the Japanese (and who served as the Taylor family's servant), come by the legation with a quilt, and she told Choi that, while trying to mend the quilt after Mr. Taylor and his baby played with it, she found a document inside of it. She handed the document to Choi, who realized that it was proof of Gojong's illicit slush fund in the Russo-Asiatic Bank, and, when Soo-mi asked if the document was important and Choi concurred, Soo-mi said that Choi could keep it as repayment for his saving her and her brother Do-mi, whom Choi had employed at the legation. However, Choi lamented that he could be killed if he kept the letter, as the Japanese wished to obtain the letter and use it as justification to end the Joseon dynasty.

Eugene Choi

Biography[]

Gallery[]