People - San Francisco 1920

Song Jong-ik (1887–1956): Funding for the Independence Movement

Read in Korean He was responsible for supporting court cases, securing funding, and negotiating with lawyers, raising awareness in the American media about Japan’s aggressive intentions and the inevitability of Korea’s independence. In 1913, he served as one of the representatives from the eight provinces at the founding conference of the Heungsadan in San Francisco,…
Song Seok-jun (1865-1907): Heungsadan

Read in Korean Born in Uiju, North Pyongan Province, his contributions can be well understood through the writings left by Hong Eon at that time. “On April 18 of the same year, a major earthquake erupted in San Francisco, and as the San Francisco branch was engulfed in flames, the public hall was also buried…
Yun Byeong-gu (1882–1949): Representative of Korea at the United Nations Peace Conference

Read in Korean Born in Seoul, Yun graduated from a foreign language school during the late Joseon Dynasty and became a Christian. He worked as a missionary interpreter in Seoul, and when Korean immigrants in Hawaii requested the dispatch of a pastor, he moved to the United States to pursue a pastoral career. In Hawaii,…
Bang Sa-gyeom (1881–1955): A Life of Independence Activism, Business, and Legacy

Read in Korean Bang Sa-gyeom (July 25, 1881 – December 8, 1955) was born in Pyongyang and emigrated to Hawaii in 1903 at the age of 23. Amid the grueling labor on sugarcane plantations, he dreamed of a better future and eventually moved to San Francisco to pursue his studies. There, he met Ahn Chang-ho…
Moon Yang-mok (1869–1940): An Independence Activist Who Joined the Donghak Peasant Revolution and Went into Exile in the United States

Read in Korean Participation in the Donghak Peasant Revolution Moon Yang-mok (June 7, 1869 – December 25, 1940) was born in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do, and was an intellectual with an early awareness of anti-feudal and anti-foreign influences. When the Donghak Peasant Revolution broke out in 1894, he joined the peasant army at the age of 25…
No Baek-rin (1875-1926): Willows Flight School

Read in Korean Gye-won No Baek-rin was born in Punghae-myeon, Songhwa-gun, Hwanghae Province. From a young age, he was praised as a potential general due to his tall stature and exceptional strength. While learning classical Chinese in his hometown, he moved to Seoul and in 1895 was selected as one of 120 outstanding students nationwide…
Kim Hyun-gu (1889-1967): U.S. Diplomatic Commissioner

Read in Korean Born in Okcheon, Chungbuk, Kim Hyun-gu studied at Yangjeong School and Boseong Middle School, where he became a member of the Enlightenment Movement organization, the Jaeganghoe. He moved to the United States in April 1909 for his studies and enrolled in Hastings Boys’ Military School, founded by Park Yong-man, where he received…
Kim Jong-rim (1884-1973): A Big Player Known as the “Rice King”

Read in Korean Kim Jong-rim earned the nickname “Rice King” for being the largest landowner among Koreans at the time, cultivating vast amounts of rice and making a significant fortune. With his earnings, he donated substantial amounts to various needs within the Korean community, as well as to the independence movement, and established a flight…