à la volonté du peuple

Additionally, in the space of 1910-25, there were five translations done in Korean of Les Misérables. The order of which goes: ABC계 (최남선, 1910) → 너 참 불쌍타 (최남선, 1914) → 애사 (민태원, 1918~1919) → 애사(홍난파, 1922) → 장발장의 설움 (홍난파, 1923) → 몸 둘 곳 없는 사람 (오천석, 1925). (x)

Image 1: The cover of Min Tae-won's 1918 translation | Image 2: Text sample of presumably the first pages of the first translation of Les Misérables in Korea from 1910, a month before the official annexation of the peninsula.

In Min Tae-won's debut work, he translated the title to "Aesa" meaning, 'The sad history of an individual or a country.' Interestingly, it was serialised from July 1918 until 8 February 1919...

What makes this date unique is that it was coincidentally the same date as the February 8 Declaration of Independence (2·8 독립 선언). This was a declaration made in Toukyou, Japan, by the Korean Young people's Independence Organisation.

"The declaration is widely viewed as a direct predecessor to the significant March 1st Movement, which in turn was a major catalyst of the independence movement." (x)

Min Tae-won's work, though a translation, at the same time Hangeul-ised the names of the characters:

장발장 → 장발찬 / 마들렌 → 마대련 / 코제트 → 고설도 / 팡틴 → 황애련 / 자베르 → 차보열 / 테나르디에 → 태날추 / 마리우스 → 홍만서 / 포쉬르방 → 홍술환 / 에포닌 → 봉인이…… (x)

Only Myriel and Gavroche was kept the same name.