[How About This Book] I Am a Foreigner Who 'Fought for Korean Independence but Was Forgotten'

Book: "I Am a Foreigner Fighting for Korean Independence"
Devoted to Humanity and Justice,
But Forgotten Amid Indifference
Japanese Who United with Koreans
Branded a "Traitor" in Japan... Overlooked in Korea
Pastor Couple Who Helped Kim Gu Escape
Honor Awarded Only to the "Male" Husband
80 Years Since Liberation... Time to Reevaluate Their Contributions

As of November 2024, a total of 18,162 individuals have been awarded honors for their contributions to independence. Among them, only 76 foreigners, excluding overseas Koreans, have been recognized. By nationality, there are 34 from China, 21 from the United States, 6 from the United Kingdom, 6 from Canada, 3 from Australia, 2 from Ireland, 1 from France, 1 from Russia, and 2 from Japan.

These individuals dedicated themselves to the independence movements of other countries out of humanity, freedom, and justice, but the reality is that most have been forgotten amid indifference. In response, two current and former journalists from the Seoul Shinmun, the successor of the Daehan Maeil Sinbo which had led public opinion formation on Korea-Japan issues since its founding in 1904, along with a historian, joined forces to reexamine their value. The book contains stories of those who have already been honored but overlooked, as well as those who greatly contributed to Korean independence but have yet to receive recognition.

Isogaya Sueji. Provided by Buki

Isogaya Sueji was the only Japanese political prisoner arrested during the Japanese colonial period who refused to recant. He mingled and united with Koreans without discrimination or prejudice. In 1928, he formed a connection with Korea while serving in the Japanese military, and after his discharge, he stayed in Hamheung (now Hamheung City Heungnam District), living closely with Koreans. Unusually for the time, he boarded at a Korean household and worked with laborers to organize a labor union. Due to these activities, he was sentenced to six years in prison on October 2, 1934, for violating the Public Security Preservation Act. However, because he refused to recant, he ultimately spent a total of nine years in prison. Despite continuous Japanese attempts at persuasion and torture, he held firm to his beliefs and remained known as the "only Japanese non-repentant long-term prisoner."

When he left liberated Korea in December 1946 to return to Japan, he sent letters to every Korean acquaintance he had known. Afterward, he lived a difficult life in Japan as a construction worker and school security guard, passing away in 1998 at the age of 91.

He visited Korea only once after returning to Japan. In April 1991, he visited Seodaemun Prison, where he had been incarcerated, and left this message: "I wonder what the new Prime Minister and Foreign Minister think about Japan atoning for the crimes committed against the Korean people. Apologies and memorials for the dead, as well as the compensation issue for the comfort women, which became a major problem last year, should not be dismissed as 'already resolved issues.'"

Although he sacrificed for Korea, he was treated as a "traitor" in Japan and was not widely recognized in Korea, ultimately becoming a forgotten figure on the Korean Peninsula. Professor Yang Ji-hye of Daegu National University of Education explained, "Isogaya’s main activities were in the Hamgyeong Province region, and many comrades who worked with him were purged under the Kim Il-sung regime, so he was not properly recognized even in North Korea. (...) Naturally, he became a forgotten person on the Korean Peninsula."

Joko Yonetaro was a Christian youth who worked as a teacher in Korea during the Japanese colonial period and longed for Korean independence. In 1922, he was appointed to Haman Public Elementary School in Haman County, Gyeongsangnam-do, and was different from other Japanese teachers. He boarded at a Korean household, made efforts to learn the Korean language and culture, and communicated with students in Korean. Students who followed him said, "The teacher is Korean. No one who is not Korean could be such a good person."

Joko believed that Korea must be independent for its happiness and that Japanese workers and farmers should unite for this cause. He was caught while trying to organize the Korean branch of the teachers’ labor union and was sentenced in 1932 to two years in prison with a four-year suspended sentence.

Later, he worked at the Pacific coal mine representing Korean workers and advocating for their interests, and after returning to Japan, he devoted himself to helping Korean residents in Japan. In 1968, he testified as a witness at the trial of Kim Hee-ro, a second-generation Korean resident in Japan who killed two Yakuza members after enduring discrimination, testifying to the realities of Japanese aggression and discrimination against Koreans.

Among scholars studying the Japanese colonial period, Joko is the foreigner most frequently identified as deserving of the independence merit award. Japanese scholar Ota Chiemi evaluated him as "an ordinary yet extraordinary young man who loved Korea and wanted to be with Koreans before becoming an activist."

During their visit to Korea, Pastor George Peach and his wife visited Gyeonggyojang. In the front row from the right are the Peach couple, Baekbeom Kim Gu, and Mrs. Francesca (spouse of former President Syngman Rhee). Provided by Booky

The achievements of female foreign independence activists are even more easily forgotten. When the Yun Bong-gil incident occurred in Hongkou Park, Shanghai, in 1932, the Japanese army launched a massive arrest operation. At that time, Kim Gu evaded the Japanese police by hiding in the French Concession. The couple who helped Kim Gu during his escape were Pastor George Peach and his wife, especially Geraldine Peach, who played a significant role.

According to Kim Gu’s "Baekbeom Ilji," Geraldine Peach helped Kim Gu hide in her home for about 20 days, and when she heard that a spy had been discovered, she urged him to leave quickly, disguised her husband as a driver, and pretended to be Kim Gu’s wife. Thanks to this, Kim Gu was able to safely escape Shanghai.

Afterward, Geraldine Peach returned to the United States and served as a patron of the Korea-America Association, supporting the provisional Korean government’s recognition by the U.S. government. In 1942, she also took the lead in raising awareness of Korea’s independence legitimacy by contributing to the New York Times. However, while her husband George Peach received the Order of Independence Merit in 1968, Geraldine Peach has yet to receive any honors. The author points out that "recognizing the couple’s contributions but awarding honors only to the husband (...) seems difficult to avoid criticism for failing to overcome the outdated patriarchal system of the era."

This book also introduces hidden contributions such as those of Valentine McClatchy, a journalist who translated the March 1st Independence Declaration into English and delivered it to the United States, and Elbert Taylor, who secured an apology from the Japanese governor for the Jeam-ri massacre.

Marking the 80th anniversary of liberation this year, remembering foreign heroes who sacrificed in the history of Korea’s independence movement is even more meaningful. It is also time to give proper recognition to those whose contributions have yet to be acknowledged.

I Am a Foreigner Fighting for Korean Independence | Kang Guk-jin, Kim Seung-hoon, Han Jong-su | Bookie | 376 pages | 22,000 KRW