The Encounter between the Czechoslovak Legion and Korean Independence Forces ― The Intersection of Tragedy and Comedy ―

The Czechoslovak Legion was a product of the First World War and the Russian Revolution. The anti-Bolshevik uprising initiated by the Legion provided the imperialist powers with a pretext to intervene in the revolution and the ensuing civil war. For Japan in particular, this presented a golden opportunity. Japan launched the Siberian Intervention, supporting the White forces and engaging in combat against the Soviet Red Army. This development became a turning point that pushed Koreans in the Russian Far East onto a single path. They could not support the White forces backed by Japan. Consequently, many Koreans sided with the Soviet Red Army. As a result, the Czechoslovak Legion became an enemy of the Korean independence forces in the Maritime Province.Thus, the irony of history forced two actors who shared the common identity of oppressed nations into conflict. Korean partisan forces in the Russian Far East fought against the Czechoslovak Legion, the Japanese army, and the White forces. This was undeniably tragic. At the same time, there were also Koreans who aligned themselves with the Czechoslovak Legion. They sought to utilize the Legion’s power to form Korean military units of their own. However, this inevitably meant relying on Japanese support, rendering the attempt little more than a comedic episode. In this way, the encounters between the Czechoslovak Legion and Korean independence forces existed at the intersection of tragedy and comedy.Yet their relationship was not defined solely by confrontation. Each side also sought to use the other to achieve its own objectives, and depending on shifts in the political and military situation, they at times cooperated. Koreans in the Russian Far East participated alongside the Czechoslovak commander Radola Gajda when he carried out a coup in Vladivostok. Moreover, after Gajda’s coup failed and he departed from Vladivostok, Korean nationalist activists in Shanghai welcomed him warmly. At the root of this reception lay a sense of shared suffering and mutual sympathy.