Under the pretext of the Hague Secret Emissary Incident, the Japanese coerced Emperor Gojong into abdicating and imposed the Eulsa Treaty.

As Imperial Japan hurried to annex Korea outright, Gojong attempted to appeal to world leaders by sending a secret delegation to the Hague Convention of 1907.

They forced him through pro-Japanese ministers affiliated with the Iljinhoe to either go to Japan and apologize to the Emperor or General Hasegawa in front of the Korean Gate.

[c][2] On July 19, 1907, in Jongno, where intense crowds opposing the abdication of Emperor Gojong were demonstrating, approximately 100 armed soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 3rd Company, of the Jeongdong Garrison who had a high reputation and was designated as an anti-Japanese unit, and the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Company, under the command of Im Jae-deok, who was known for his anti-Japanese activities joined the Capital Guards.

[1] Surprised by the uprising, the Japanese military immediately contacted their homeland and ordered the deployment of combat units from the 12th Division to essential regions such as Daegu and Pyongyang.

[3] Some officials, such as Park Yung-hyo, and Yi Do-jae, tried to assassinate the members of cabinet of Ye Wanyong, who led the abdication.

However, they had already been completely disarmed, and with the heavily armed Japanese troops surrounding the training center from multiple directions, they were left with no options.

Using similar deceptive methods, the Japanese military dissolved all regional units from August 3 to September 3, starting with the Bukcheong Garrison.

[6] The 1st Battalion Commander Major Park Seung-hwan (1869–1907) wrote a note on a paper in protest against the disbandment of the armed forces, I couldn't defend my country as a soldier nor show my loyalty as a servant.

Park Seung-hwan's cry of "Long live the Great Korean Empire" and a gunshot echoed through the ranks of the Seoul Capital Guards 1st Division.

[1] The responsibility of the officers leading soldiers who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the anti-Japanese struggle due to their strong national consciousness, even with the slightest provocation, was truly burdensome.

His suicide enraged the soldiers; they collectively rebelled against the Japanese officers who were leading them, and they rushed to the arsenal, extorting ammunition and armaments.

[6] In response, around 9:30 am, the Imperial Japanese Army had its 51st Infantry Regiment's first, second, and third battalions installed three machine guns on the rampart of Sungnyemun, the upper floor of Namdaemun Gate and utilized artillery to carry out a frontal assault.

Leading the Japanese army was Kajihara, who had earned the nickname "Goblin Commander" by killing 19 enemy soldiers during the Russo-Japanese War.

The Japanese army searched for Korean soldiers hiding in civilian homes, and hundreds of houses were burned.

Shells hit civilians, and one Korean soldier in the Soseomun area was reportedly stabbed with more than 20 bayonet thrusts.

When Wonju Jinwidae Commander Hong U-hyeong became aware that his subordinate soldiers would rise against the Japanese, he fled in fear.

Figures such as Yu Myeong-gyu, Yeon Gi-u, and Ji Hong-yun played a central role in overcoming the restrictions imposed by the officers, attacking the Japanese police substation, killing Japanese spies, and assassinating prominent members of the Iljinhoe (One Advance Society), Jeong Gyeong-su.

However, it holds significant meaning in the history of the anti-Japanese national liberation struggle as it led to an expansion of guerrilla warfare in a different form than before.

Firstly, the dissolution of regional Jinwidae units resulted in the significant expansion of areas involved in guerrilla activities.

Thirdly, with the strategic command of dissolved soldiers, the combat techniques of guerrilla warfare improved, dealing a severe blow to the Japanese forces.

Before the Battle of Namdaemun, the Righteous Army mainly comprised poor peasants, fishers, tiger hunters, miners, merchants, and laborers; a significant part of the Imperial Korean Armed Forces kept resisting outside Seosomun Gate.