"I Will Not Waste My Great-Grandfather's Compensation"
Professor Park Myunghyun of Sookmyung Women's University Donates 15 Million Won in Veterans' Benefits
It was recently revealed that a descendant of the late independence activist Park Docheol, who died while leading a March 1st Movement demonstration in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, donated the veteran’s compensation received from the government as a scholarship fund.
Professor Myunghyun Park of Sookmyung Women's University donated 15 million won to her alma mater to be used as a scholarship fund for descendants of independence activists.
According to Sookmyung Women's University on June 1, Professor Park Myunghyun, the great-granddaughter of Mr. Park and a research professor at the university, delivered 15 million won to her alma mater on May 15, together with her father Park Youngseop, requesting that it be used as a scholarship for descendants of independence activists.
Mr. Park, who served as a second lieutenant in the Imperial Korean Army, led a March 1st Movement demonstration at the Gwanghyewon market in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, on April 3, 1919, and died after being shot by Japanese military police. He was at the forefront of the protest, destroying the local gendarmerie station, and died on the spot. Furthermore, his mother also died on the same day, shot by Japanese forces as she clung to her son's body in resistance.
Afterward, Mr. Park’s family had to leave their hometown to escape retaliation from pro-Japanese groups. Because Mr. Park had sold all his assets during his lifetime to fund the independence movement, the only thing left to the family was poverty.
Professor Park said tearfully, “I heard that my grandmother cooked seaweed soup for my father before his high school entrance exam, hoping he would fail on purpose. People say that three generations are ruined by joining the independence movement, but thanks to their sacrifice, our country exists today, so we have no regrets.”
Due to Japanese retaliation, the family burned their genealogical records, leaving no documentation, which caused Mr. Park to be repeatedly denied recognition in merit award reviews. It was only 102 years after his death, in 2021, that he was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Patriotic Medal, with the help of local historians.
Professor Park and her father save the veteran’s compensation they receive monthly from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and donate scholarships to students in Gwanghyewon-myeon, Jincheon County. Last year, they also donated 10 million won to the construction of the Jincheon March 1st Movement Memorial Tower. Professor Park stated, “Rather than spending my great-grandfather’s compensation carelessly, I wanted to use it for something meaningful.” They also plan to contribute their own funds to establish an association commemorating the March 1st Movement in Jincheon, and are preparing programs such as independence movement heritage tours and lectures for students.
Sookmyung Women's University also announced that it would honor the noble intentions of Professor Park and her father by identifying and supporting students who are descendants of independence activists. A university official stated, “In line with Sookmyung’s identity as the nation’s first women’s private university, we will actively work to realize the noble intention of our alumna to carry on the spirit of the independence movement.”
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