Woo Jang-chun

Woo Jang-chun (April 8, 1898 – August 10, 1959) was an agricultural scientist and botanist active in Japanese Korea and later in South Korea, famous for his discoveries in the genetics and breeding of plants.

Woo was born and raised in Japan, overcoming poverty and discrimination in Imperial Japan to become a prominent researcher and teacher. When Japanese rule over Korea ended in 1945, Woo left his mother, wife, and children in Japan and settled in what would become South Korea to lead the country's efforts in botany and agriculture. There is a memorial museum in the port city of Busan, where he lived and worked in Korea, honoring his life and accomplishments.

Woo is credited in scientific literature as Nagaharu U ( OO), a Japanese reading of the hanja of his Korean name; the pronunciation of his family name 禹 can be Romanized as U in both Japanese (う) and Korean (우).

Early life

Woo was born on April 8, 1898, in Akasaka, Tokyo and raised in Kure, Hiroshima, he was the first son of a Japanese mother, Naka Sakai (사카이 나카, 酒井ナカ) and a Korean father, Woo Beom-seon (禹範善, 우범선) of the Danyang Woo clan (본관: 단양 우씨, 丹陽 禹氏). Woo Beom-seon served as the commander of the first battalion of the Hullyeondae (a Japanese-trained Korean military force) during the late Joseon period and had sought political asylum in Japan. He was involved in the Gaehwapa movement (a modernization faction) and personally commanded the 2nd Battalion of the Hullyeondae Regiment, which attacked the Palace, and allowed the Japanese ronin to assassinate Empress Myeongseong in the Eulmi Incident, which also led to the murder of two other women on October 13, 1895. Fifty-five Japanese nationals were arrested and tried for involvement but won acquittal in a Japanese court due to lack of evidence. Meanwhile, Queen Min's son, Crown Prince Yi Cheok, accused Woo Beom-seon of complicity in the murders and he fled to Japan.