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Revision as of 08:39, 7 January 2025 by Victuallers (talk | contribs) (ok have a go)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Lee Hyo-jeong | |
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.webp) from her graduation in 1932 | |
| Born | July 28, 1913 Bonghwa County |
| Died | 2010 |
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Education | Dongduk Girls’ High School |
| Occupation | teacher |
| Known for | last surviving woman from Korea's independance struggle |
| Spouse | Park Du-Bok |
| Children | three |
Lee Hyo-jeong (born July 28, 1913) was a South Korea independance protestor and in later life a poet. She went to prison for her activities. Her work was recognised in 2006 with an award. There is a statue of her and her friend, who died in North Korea, in Seodaemun Prison Museum.
Life
Lee Hyo-jeong was born in 1913 in Bonghwa County.Her father died when she was one and for a time she was in Bongcheon, Manchuria. She came from an anti-Japanese family and she returned to be home-schooled by her grandfather.
She attended Dongduk Girls’ High School established by the Cheondoist religion. Dongduk Girls’ High School had been involved in the March 1st Movement. Its founder Son Byeong-hee had been arrested and replaced as headteacher in 1919 for being involved in the independance movement. She was a keen and attentive pupil. She was friends with Park Jin-hong who was ranked first in the school and they were anti-Japanese socialists. Lee Hyo-jeong was a keen activist who was also a good student. Her fifth cousin was the Korean nationalist and language expert Lee Byeong-gi and he gave her lessons.
Their history teacher, Lee Gwan-sul, was a strong influence. She joined a reading group with male students. It was called the Gyeongseong RS Reading Society and the "RS" stood (secretly) for revolutionary socialism. Influenced by the Gwangju Student Movement in 1929, she participated in protests on campus and a strike in 1931 where students agreed to submit blank answer sheets in exams. Some students who did not comply alleged that the blank sheets were due to ignorance, but the existance of Park Jin-hong, the star student's, empty sheet proved that they were mistaken. 100s of students were suspended and Park Jin-hong was expelled in June 1931. The bad feeling in the school gathered more support including teachers and governors. Eventually all the students were taken back, but Park Jin-hong remained expelled.
Lee Hyo-jeong went on to teach at Ulsan Primary School and she continue to agitate. She had to leave that job because of her history of anti-Japanese views. She was involved in labour disputes and she went to prison for her activities on 1934. In 1935 she was backin her former school distributing anti-Japanese leaflets.
In 2006 the government decided that it would award medals to people who had helped to establish South Korea but they had been ignored if they were socialists. She was awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation.
Death and legacy
When she died in 2010 she was said to the last surviving woman from Korea's independance struggle.
On the 100th anniversary of the March 1st movement, publications included the accounts of her time when she was a student. The prison where she and her friend served sentences became Seodaemun Prison Museum. It has statues of Lee Hyo-jeong and Park Jin-hong reunited in one of the women's cells.
In her seventies she took to writing poetry.
References
- ^ "Lee Hyo-Jeong : The Last Woman Fighter for Korea's Independence". 국민대학교 신문방송사 (in Korean). 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- "학교연혁 | 동덕여자고등학교". dongduk.sen.hs.kr. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ "Lee Hyo-jeong – The Unsung Heroes Who Fought for Independence!". Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ "[3·1 운동 100주년 연중기획-독립운동가 열전 29] 치열한, 너무나 치열한 삶을 살다 간 페미니스트 독립운동가 박진홍". 매일노동뉴스 (in Korean). 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
- ^ 울산저널i (2019-01-23). "독립운동가 부부 이효정·박두복 이야기(3)". usjournal.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- "Recalling 'manse' rallies that took place within Seodaemun Prison's walls". The Korea Times. 2019-02-27. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
- Weon Eunhee (November 2022). "A study on life and poems of Lee, Hyo-Jeong, a female activist for national Independence". The Journal of Humanities. 43 (4): 131–162. doi:10.22947/IHMJU.2022.43.4.005.