Unsung women were at the forefront during independence movement

"Elderly women, stamping their feet, harshly criticized the men for lacking courage. They declared, 'We should all head to Gwangju, and even if it means facing beatings and starvation, let's join our comrades who are suffering in jail for our cause.'"

This passage comes from a Dong-A Ilbo article dated October 23, 1925, recounting a tenant farmers' dispute on Docho Island, Muan County (present-day Sinan County's Docho Island). As residents resisted the steep rent increases set by Japanese and Korean landlords, the Japanese authorities arrested about 20 key figures, prompting a harsh crackdown. Over 200 island residents then sailed to the Mokpo Police Station, staging a protest to demand the release of those arrested.

In a photograph of the protest, middle-aged women in traditional Korean hanbok skirts are prominently seen in the front row. Learning that their fellow villagers were also detained in Gwangju Prison, they moved the protest to Gwangju. The protest dispersal led to several injuries, with the hospital treatment records of the severely wounded listing anonymous women in their 50s and 60s, including 'Kim Seongnyeo' (a woman with the surname Kim) and 'Kim Sosa' (a widow with the surname Kim). This illustrates the remarkable involvement of women in social movements in the 1920s, an era still heavily influenced by feudal elements, as seen by the Bakjeong (Butchers) Liberation Movement. As of October last year, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs recognized only two female peasants among 3,060 domestic anti-Japanese movement honorees, though it is believed that many more were actively involved.

The recently completed 'Korean Female Independence Activists' series, a five-volume work jointly published by the Independence Hall of Korea, the Korea History Society, and the HistoFacto, has brought these women's efforts to light. Beginning in 2019, the Independence Hall of Korea annually released books on various themes, including women in the March 1 Movement, armed resistance against Japanese rule, domestic social movements, overseas Korean communities, and women's organizations. Authored by 13 co-writers, the series profiles over 100 female independence fighters.

The series also illuminates women's contributions to the Korean Liberation Army, often only known as daughters of crucial figures in the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. For example, Ji Bok-yeong, typically mentioned in textbooks merely as the daughter of Ji Cheong-cheon, the Korean Liberation Army's commander-in-chief, was actively engaged in the armed struggle against Japanese occupation. Oh Hee-yeong, who arrived in Manchuria at 16 to find her father, worked alongside Ji Bok-yeong in assisting Korean conscripts to escape from Japanese forces. "Although the government has awarded medals to about 30 female members of the Korean Liberation Army, based on testimonies and other evidence, it is estimated that around 100 women participated in the Liberation Army," said Professor Han Seung-hoon of the Department of History Education at Busan National University.

4g1@donga.com