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. On November 24, 1903, Woo Beom-seon was assassinated by Go Yeong-geun (高永根, 고영근), leaving five-year-old Woo Jang-choon fatherless. His brother, Woo Hong-chun (禹洪春, 우홍춘) was born in 1904 when Jang-choon was six. Although Woo Jang-choon was part Japanese and held Japanese citizenship, his Japanese mother taught him to honor his Korean heritage. She left Woo in the care of a Buddhist temple orphanage so that she could work and raise funds for his education. Food at the temple was limited to potatoes, and Woo was ostracized by other Japanese children for being part Korean, so he often stayed closed to monks and nuns. His mother returned for him after three years. He was also a practicing Buddhist. Woo then began his grade school education, working hard to cope with discrimination from peers. Meanwhile, the Empire of Japan had begun to challenge European colonial powers in East Asia, beginning with the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05), which led almost directly to the annexation of Korea in 1910. In Japan, talented male students enlisted in the military, but Woo continued with school. To meet his financial needs, his mother sold all of their possessions, even his father's tomb, though a friend allowed the remains of Woo Beom-seon to be buried in another cemetery. A talented math student, Woo sought to study engineering at Kyoto Imperial University, but at the suggestion of pro-Japanese Korean statesman Pak Yeong-hyo, he pursued agriculture at Tokyo Imperial University with a scholarship from the Japanese General-Government in Korea. He began his university career at Tokyo Imperial University in 1916, where he was highly regarded by his professors, and graduated in 1919. In 1936, he earned a doctorate in agriculture from the university for his dissertation "Synthesis of Species." Woo tutored his neighbor's sons, and the neighbor introduced Woo to his sister, Koharu Watanabe (Korean: 와타나베 고하루; Hanja: 渡邊小春). They fell in love but had difficulty convincing Koharu's parents for permission to marry. Against her parents' wishes, however, Koharu and Woo married. Their first child was a daughter, Tomoko Woo. Their marriage produced four daughters and two sons. Kazuo Inamori is his son-in-law through his youngest daughter's marriage. After Korea was liberated on August 15, 1945, Woo Jang-choon left Japan for Korea but had difficulty fitting in due to his father's actions, which burdened him for life.
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