[K-Women Talk] Remembering the Unyielding Flame of Independence Activist Kim Maria

Spreading the February 8th Independence Declaration While Studying in Japan
Led the Korean Patriotic Women's Association and Resisted Until the End
Imprisoned Multiple Times and Died from the Aftereffects of Severe Torture

Lee Han, historian and writer

When our nation's sovereignty was taken by Japan, many people devoted their lives to reclaiming the country's future. Among them were men, but naturally, there were also women. Unfortunately, female independence activists have been relatively less known. They risked their lives for the country just the same, so why do we only remember the most famous individuals and fail to recall the countless others who walked shoulder to shoulder with them?

Kim Maria was born in 1891 in Jangyeon-gun, Hwanghae Province, as the youngest of three sisters. Her name was given by her father Kim Yunbang, who had converted to Christianity. Kim Yunbang was a pioneer who established a school and taught the local people, but he passed away when Kim Maria was four years old.

Her mother, Kim Mongdo, also died of illness at the age of 14, and orphaned Kim Maria was raised under the care of relatives. Although she grew up without her parents, Kim Maria was exceptionally intelligent and always ranked first. Many people, seeing her brilliance, recommended and sent her to study in Japan, but Kim Maria had a more important mission than studying: the independence of her country.

When the February 8th Independence Declaration took place in Japan, Kim Maria was entrusted with secretly bringing the declaration into Joseon. This act became the catalyst for the March 1st Movement in Joseon. However, Kim Maria herself was arrested by the Japanese police, subjected to severe torture, and suffered lifelong aftereffects.

Despite this, Kim Maria neither changed nor broke. Shortly after being released from prison, she became the president of the Korean Patriotic Women's Association again, raising funds for the independence movement and sending them abroad. Kim Maria’s unwavering life amid the storm deeply impressed those around her, but not everyone. One member of the women's association betrayed her comrades by selling information to the police in exchange for her own safety, leading to the arrest and harsh torture of Kim Maria and most members. Meanwhile, the traitor received a large sum of money and bought a big, fancy house.

The woman who betrayed her comrades claimed she was swayed by her husband's words that "Joseon is weak and cannot be independent." Did Kim Maria ever think like that? She was known for her intelligence. She must have considered such thoughts and surely feared prison and torture. What pushed Kim Maria forward was the fact that it was "only natural."

While being interrogated by the Japanese police, Kim Maria said, "It is only natural for the people of Korea to work for Korea's independence." Without questioning the possibility, because it was the right and natural thing to do. Kim Maria lived her entire life by this principle. Although she escaped the Japanese police and went to study in China and then the United States, she eventually returned to her still-unindependent homeland. Despite constant surveillance by the Japanese police, Kim Maria taught people, resisted shrine worship, and fought, but ultimately died from the aftereffects of torture just one year before the Republic of Korea celebrated liberation.

Kim Maria died, and her ashes were scattered in the Daedong River, but her life and words continue to inspire deeply. Because it was natural, she risked danger, endured suffering, and willingly acted even knowing disadvantages would come. While descendants today often turn a blind eye to the injustices in the world and fret over potential disadvantages, they try to remember Kim Maria’s name with a sense of shame. Because it is the natural thing to do.

Lee Han, Historian