An Sang-ho, who conducted the autopsy at the time of Emperor Gojong's death, recorded 'no suspicion of murder' despite clear signs of poisoning on the body, raising questions about the background of the March 1st Movement.
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At 6 AM on January 21, 1919, Emperor Gojong collapsed after drinking sikhye, leading to his sudden death. The events from 6 AM to around 10 AM that day remain a mystery. Gojong's death at the time was an suspicious death, identified as a matter requiring clarification.
The autopsy of Gojong's body revealed that his tongue and throat were completely charred black. The esophagus and stomach were also charred black with lines drawn across them, and his entire body was so swollen that the hem of his royal robe was significantly enlarged, requiring an autopsy. This, coupled with Gojong's sudden death despite being healthy the day before, fueled the poisoning suspicions.
The person in charge of Gojong's autopsy was Ahn Sang-ho. Despite confirming severe damage to Gojong's body consistent with poisoning, he recorded 'no suspicion of murder' in the autopsy report. Regardless of this record, the people of the Korean Empire at the time did not believe him, and this became one of the significant backgrounds of the March 1st Movement.
Two court ladies, aged 19 and 21, who served sikhye to Gojong, both died three days after Gojong's death. This can be interpreted as evidence tampering and suggests that the poison was very strong. This incident further bolstered the theory of Gojong's poisoning.
The theory of Gojong's poisoning spread rapidly among the entire nation, becoming a catalyst for the March 1st Movement. Min Yeong-hui and Yi Wan-yong were identified as the individuals who ordered the sikhye to be brought. The people were enraged, believing that those who sold out the nation had poisoned Emperor Gojong. Ahn Sang-ho, the autopsy doctor, was known as the person who saved Yi Wan-yong and married the daughter of a Japanese governor-general, further inciting public anger by his involvement in Gojong's autopsy.
Originally scheduled for March 3, 1919, Emperor Gojong's funeral day escalated into the March 1st Movement, with the entire nation rising in protest on March 1st due to anger over the poisoning theory. At the time, autopsy records required checking 'suspicion of murder present/absent' along with the body's condition in the death report. Ahn Sang-ho recorded the body's condition, which indicated poisoning, but ultimately chose 'no suspicion of murder'.
Despite meticulously documenting the condition of Gojong's body, Ahn Sang-ho concluded 'no suspicion of murder' in his overall judgment. This appears to have been an attempt to prevent an investigation from being launched. No one in the Korean Empire at the time believed this record, and it failed to quell the public's anger. Ultimately, the funeral procedures proceeded as planned.
Princess Deokhye, Gojong's daughter, exhibited strange behavior at her father's funeral, clinging to the coffin and refusing to let go, demanding a proper re-autopsy. However, she was forcibly removed by Yi Wan-yong. Furthermore, while living at the Japanese imperial education institute, Princess Deokhye only drank water from a thermos, stating that she 'feared dying like her father,' adding weight to the poisoning suspicion.
Content related to Gojong's poisoning also appears in the memoir of Lady Yi Bang-ja, Gojong's daughter-in-law. Lady Yi Bang-ja explicitly stated in her memoir that 'Ahn Sang-ho poisoned Gojong under Yi Wan-yong's orders.' It is recorded that Terauchi, of the Japanese Government-General, instructed Yi Wan-yong. These testimonies strongly suggest that Gojong's death was not a simple illness.
Ahn Sang-ho is known as the person who saved Yi Wan-yong. He married a Japanese woman and also married the daughter of the Mori family, who was the daughter of a former Japanese Governor-General. His pro-Japanese activities and deep connections with Japan further amplified doubts about the reliability of Gojong's autopsy.
Gu Hyeon-su, who cremated Empress Myeongseong's body during the Eulmi Incident, is mentioned as Song Byeong-ju's son-in-law and connected to Ahn Sang-ho. Gu Hyeon-su arranged Ahn Sang-ho's second marriage in Japan. A photo in a 1918 article from the 'Maeilbo,' an organ of the Japanese Government-General, featuring Ahn Sang-ho's family as a model of internal unity, shows Ahn Sang-ho's children wearing kimonos. This is presented as evidence that Ahn Sang-ho's family had strong pro-Japanese leanings.
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