Yu Gwan-sun

Infobox Korean name


caption=Yu Kwan-sun in the Japanese prison.
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hangul=유관순
hanja=柳寬順
rr=Yu Kwan-sun
mr=Yu Kwan-sun

Yu Kwan-Sun (March 15, 1904-October 12, 1920) was a student and organizer in what would come to be known as the March First Movement against the Japanese occupation of Korea in the South Chungcheong. [Bright Figures in Korean History (한국역사를 빚낸사람들), Kim Han-ryong Compiler (김한룡 엮음) 대일출판사] In 1919, Yu Kwan-Sun was a student at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, where she witnessed the beginnings of the March 1st Movement. Her deep faith in God and the teachings from the Methodist Ehwa School gave her the courage to act boldly. [ [http://www.aasianst.org/EAA/connor.htm Famous Koreans: Six Portraits -Yu Kwan-Sun (1904–20)- By Mary Connor ] at aasianst.org] The school went into recess, because of an order by the Japanese government to close all Korean schools. Yu Gwan-sun returned to her home in the Jiryeong village.

There, along with her family, she began to attempt to arouse public feeling against the Japanese occupation. She also planned a demonstration for independence, which included people from some neighboring towns, Yeongi, Chungju, and Jincheon, The demonstration was scheduled to start on the First lunar day of March 1919 at 9:00 a.m. in Aori Marketplace. She, along with about 2,000 demonstrators, shouted, "대한 독립 만세" ("Daehan Dokrip Manse"), which translates to "Long live Korean Independence!" The Japanese police were dispatched at around 1:00 p.m.

That same day, and Yu was arrested with other demonstrators. Both her parents were killed by Japanese police during the demonstration. She served a brief detention at Cheonan Japanese Military Police Station, and then she was tried and sentenced to seven years of imprisonment at Seodaemun Prison. During her sentence, Yu Gwan-Sun continued to protest for the independence of Korea, for which she received harsh beatings and torture. She died in prison on October 12, 1920, reportedly as the result of torture. Her last words were "Japan shall fall." The Japanese prison initially refused to release her body, but eventually and reluctantly the prison released her body to Fry and Walter, principals of Ehwa Women School and only after Fry and Walter threatened to expose this atrocity to the world. Her body was reported to have been cut into pieces.The dismembered body was contained inside the oil crate which was supposed to be returned to Saucony Vacuum Company. The Japanese Authorities did so as a retaliation against the threat from Ehwa School.

She was given a national burial in 1962.

References