Woman of Independence Movements

By Kwon Mee-yoo

On March 1, 1919, tens of thousands of Korean people took to the streets to rally for their independence from Japanese colonial rule.

The March 1 Movement provided a catalyst for the independence movement and became a crucial moment in the history of the Korean resistance under colonial rule.

Men and women of all ages took part in the March 1 Movement, but only a few of those women, including Yu Gwan-sun, a 16-year-old student who organized marches at Aunae Marketplace in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province and became the most iconic figure of the movement, are known.

As of February 2019, only 357 out of a total of 15,180 people awarded honors for independence fighting were women.

Though often forgotten or neglected compared to male activists with equivalent achievements, there are many unsung female activists who fought for the nation's freedom

Lee Yun-ok, director of the Korea-Japan Cultural Harmony Institute who has been shedding light on the lives of these female activists, said women were not just there to look after male freedom fighters.

'People took part in independence movements regardless of gender and many women deliberately joined the activities.

About half of the female activists were so-called new women who were well-educated,' Lee said.

Kim Maria

Kim Maria as a teacher of Jeongsin Girls' School

The March 1 rally was influenced by the Feb.

8 Proclamation of Independence, which took place in Tokyo about a month earlier by Korean students studying in Japan. The Feb.

8 proclamation was brought to Seoul by Kim Maria (1891-1944), a woman who wondered why there were no woman among the 11 student representatives who signed the proclamation.

Kim was born to a family of strong national consciousness and was studying in Japan when the proclamation was announced.

She hid copies of it in the sash of her kimono to escape the surveillance of Japanese police when she returned to Korea

Kim was arrested for her participation in the March 1 Movement, but her spirit did not wane. 'Our womenfolk should not simply stand by and watch,' Kim is quoted as saying during her interrogation after being arrested for the March 1 Movement.

After being released, Kim organized the Korean Women's Patriotic Society (Daehan Aeguk Buinhoe) and gathered some 2,000 members across the nation. However, she was arrested after a tip-off from a traitor in her group and was severely tortured.

Kim was released on sick leave in April 1920 and sought asylum...