In 1904, at the age of 29, he arrived at a Hawaiian sugarcane plantation. Since he was not naturally suited for physical labor, he struggled. Seeing this, his friend Kang Young-so helped him open a small store at the Ewa Plantation in Hawaii. He sold farming tools and food, but faced difficulties, such as being unable to collect credit payments.
However, in 1908, he moved to San Francisco and worked as a clerk in an American store, saving money. He then returned to his hometown of Gyeongju, reunited with his family, and brought his two younger brothers to the U.S. This was a rare occurrence in the early days of Korean immigration.
On December 5, 1913, at the age of 38, he brought 29-year-old Kim Hye-won from Hawaii and married her in San Francisco, with Reverend Yi Dae-wi officiating the ceremony. While working on farms and as a store clerk, he became deeply involved in the activities of Heungsadan (Young Korean Academy).
While working at a farm in Lompoc, heavy rain washed away the farmland, prompting him to move to Dinuba, where vineyards were abundant. There, he and his wife worked as grape pickers.
After the March 1st Movement, on August 5, 1919, the Korean Women’s Patriotic Association was established in Dinuba. His wife, Kim Hye-won, who was 34 at the time, took the lead in women’s activism as the first deputy chief, and he actively supported her efforts.
Kim Sung-kwon was a traditional scholar and writer who had studied classical Chinese literature until he moved to the U.S. From the moment he joined Heungsadan, he worked to embody Dosan Ahn Chang-ho’s spirit and provided hope to the Korean community through his writings.
Kim Sung-kwon (third from the left in the front row) and his wife, Kang Hye-won (sixth from the left), attended the Heungsadan annual conference. Next to them are Lee Hye-ryeon and their eldest daughter, Susan Ahn.
In 2002, the South Korean government posthumously awarded him the Order of Merit for National Foundation (Patriotic Medal).
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