'Independence Activists of the Month for August' Selected: Lee Gil-yong, Song Jin-woo, and Yeo Un-hyeong

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Gwangju Regional Veterans Office announced on the 30th that the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs selected Lee Gil-yong (1899?unknown), Song Jin-woo (1890?1945), and Yeo Un-hyeong (1885?1947) as the Independence Activists of August.

Lee Gil-yong was arrested and sentenced to one year in prison for transporting anti-Japanese proclamations sent from the Shanghai Provisional Government in 1919. In August 1936, while working at the Dong-A Ilbo, he was dismissed for erasing the Japanese flag from a photo of Son Ki-jeong, the winner of the Berlin Olympics, and publishing it.

Song Jin-woo produced patriotic youth through national education and was one of the 48 planners behind the March 1st Movement, actively working behind the scenes and serving prison time. Later, as president of the Dong-A Ilbo, he criticized and fought against Japanese press suppression, was imprisoned again, and resigned due to the "Japanese Flag Erasure Incident."

Yeo Un-hyeong organized the Shinhan Youth Party in Shanghai, China, in 1918 and submitted a petition for independence at the Paris Peace Conference. He dispatched Kim Cheol and Seon Woo-hyeok to Korea, which triggered the March 1st Movement.

In 1933, he became president of the Joseon Joongang Ilbo and carried out anti-Japanese resistance through the press but stepped down in August 1936 due to the Son Ki-jeong "Japanese Flag Erasure Incident." In August 1944, he secretly organized the National Construction Alliance to prepare for the liberation of the homeland, and in 1947, he organized the Laborers' People's Party and promoted the left-right coalition movement.

The government honored their merits by posthumously awarding Lee Gil-yong the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Patriotic Medal in 1990; Song Jin-woo the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Independence Medal in 1963; and Yeo Un-hyeong the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Presidential Medal in 2005 and the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Republic of Korea Medal in 2008.

Meanwhile, the Independence Activist of the Month is selected and announced by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Since 1992, the Ministry has designated and announced more than 12 independence activists annually by month and has carried out commemorative projects such as memorial events and exhibitions to honor their contributions.