The Korean Communist Party () was a communist political party organized in Shanghai, China and Irkutsk, Russia in 1921. It has its origins in the Siberian region after the Russian Revolution. It dissolved in 1922.

Background

thumb|[[Yi Dong-hwi]]

It was an organization that followed communism. The Korean communist movement originally arose in Siberia after the Russian Revolution. The Korean Socialist Party was organized in Khabarovsk in May 1918, and the 'Irkutsk Korean Communist Party Branch', the Korean branch of the Russian Bolshevik Party at the time, was organized in Irkutsk on January 22, 1920. The former was represented by Yi Dong-hwi, and the latter was represented by Kim Cheol-hoon. Both were fundamentally passionate independence activists. However, the difference in constitution between the two organizations was that the former was a group of naturalized people from Western Siberia, while the latter was a group of naturalized people from Eastern Siberia. The former's purpose was to rally Koreans in Siberia to the anti-Japanese movement, and the latter's purpose was to mobilize Koreans in western Siberia to the Bolshevik front.

Formation

In 1919, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was established in Shanghai. Yi Dong-hwi arrived in Shanghai at the end of August of that year and was inaugurated as the first Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. Yi Dong-hwi formed a communist group in Shanghai in the spring of 1920 as the first step toward achieving independence with the help of the Soviet Union. This organization is centered around executives of the Korean Socialist Party.

Meanwhile, in Omsk, the Korean Department of the Omsk Communist Party was formed in November 1919, and in Irkutsk, the Korean Department of the Irkutsk Communist Party was organized in January 1920. As the function of overseeing the Korean socialist movement was transferred to the Korean Department under the Eastern Peoples Department of the Siberian Department of the Communist Party, Irkutsk became the center. The leadership of the Korean Department of the Irkutsk Communist Party consists of Advisor Boris Shumyatsky, Chairman Kim Cheol-hoon, Secretary General Yi Seong, Political Department Director Andrei Han, Propaganda Department Director Choi Go-ryeo, Military Department Director Oh Hamuk, and Transportation Director Park. (Park) Inogenchi, and 26 members of the central committee. This party became the limb of the Comintern's Oriental Secretariat, which dealt with the foreigners of Siberia. Communist education and military training were provided to Korean youth, and efforts were made to educate party members and the general public through political ideology and infiltrate Bolshevik policies through an organ called Gyeongsejong (警世鐘).

  • Nihang Army: Led by Park Il-ya, was named because it was based in Nikolayevsk Port. Park renamed his unit the Sakhalin Volunteer Corps.
  • Davan Army: Led by Nikolai Choi, was named after its formation in Davan, a Korean village in Khabarovsk.

Irkutsk faction

Meanwhile, in Irkutsk on September 5, 1919, Kim Cheol-hoon (金哲勳), Oh Hamuk (吳夏默), etc., with the support of Sumiyasky, formed the Former Korean Communist Party. The All-Korean People’s Party was organized. This organization was made official on January 22, 1920 as the 'Irkutsk Communist Korean Department', a Korean branch of the Russian Bolshevik Party. Accordingly, the function of overseeing the Korean socialist movement was transferred from Omsk to the Korean Department under the Eastern Peoples Department of the Siberian Department of the Communist Party, and Irkutsk became the center.