Choe Chang-ik

Choi Chang-ik
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl	최창익
Hancha
Revised Romanization	Choi Chang-ik
McCune–Reischauer	Ch'oi Ch'angik

Choi Chang-ik (Hangul: 최창익; Hanja: 崔昌益, 1896 – 1960) was a Korean Independence activist from the Japanese colonial era, a communist, and a politician. He also went by the following bynames: Choi Chang-suk (최창석, 崔昌錫), Choi Chang-soon (최창순, 崔昌淳), Choi Dong-woo (최동우, 崔東宇), Lee Kun-woo (이건우, 李建宇). He was the third husband of the feminist socialist activist, Heo Jong-suk.

Choi Chang-ik was born in Onsong County, Korea in 1896. He was born into poverty as a farmer's son. His birth date is unknown as North Korea [[purge|purged]] him after deeming him a traitor and his communist status made him a taboo subject to discuss in South Korea.

In his second year of high school, he took part in the March 1st Movement which resulted in his expulsion. That same year, he went to Japan to continue his education at the Seisoku English School (today's Seisoku Gakuen High School).

He got admission in Waseda University's department of Economics and Politics and continued his activist work there by organizing a student union. This included him secretly infiltrating areas in Korea such as, Ganggyeong, Jeonju, Okgu, and Gunsan, where he went on a lecturing tour to share his ideals on socialism and equality. These activities got him arrested by the Japanese police but he was eventually released.

In June 1923, he returned to Korea and became a member of the Korean Labor Society. In July of that year, he contributed to the founding of the Korea Communist Youth Alliance and served as a commissioner. In September, he was arrested by the police while leading a Korean Labor Conference meeting.

In April 1924, he took part in the founding of the Joseon Youth Alliance and was elected to the group's central executive committee. In December, he helped found the Socialist Alliance, an organization not affiliated with the Seoul Youth Association, where he was elected to serve as a member of its executive committee.

He graduated from Waseda University in February 1925.

Following his graduation, he attended the Communist International World Congress as a representative of the Seoul Youth Association. On his way back, he stopped by Manchuria to get involved with Kim Chwa-chin's [[List of anarchist communities|Shinmin]] group, a rebel community in Manchuria's province of Shinmin, to create a communist league within the organization. However, he seceded from the group in October 1925 and took the train back to Korea. That same month, the Japanese police arrested him due to his involvement with the Shinmin group. Among those who were arrested with him were Han Bin (한빈, 韓斌), Lee Kyung-ho (이경호, 李京鎬) and Lee Young (이영, 李英).

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