It is probably hard to believe that Korea and Japan are still on extremely bad terms since WWII happened over fifty years ago. In the past, Korea was like a cultural bridge between China and Japan. There was an active exchange of ideas and the Japanese were considered allies. However, it can be said that the impact the Japanese colonization had on Korea is felt even to this day.
Japan began to convey its intention to extend its power to Korea with a naval attack on Ganghwa Island in 1875. Afterward, Japan forced Korea to sign a series of Western style trade agreements which granted the Japanese more and more influence over Korea. Because China was no longer the center of power in Asia, it could not intervene.
King Gojong, the last emperor of Joseon Dynasty, was trapped. The Eulsa Treaty of 1905, which made Korea a protectorate of Imperial Japan, was not signed by Gojong but by five of his ministers, who had betrayed him. Gojong died only a few years after the assassination of his wife, Queen Min. It was rumored that he was poisoned to death.
With the monarchy waning in power, it became the responsibility of the people to look after the country. On the day of the King’s funeral, March 1st of 1919, a demonstration was held to proclaim the independence of Korea. The Japanese forces responded to the demonstration with much brutality, injuring and killing anybody who took part in it.
Anybody who opposed the Japanese were sent to Seodaemun Prison, where severe inhuman atrocities were committed. Among those who were tortured and killed at Seodaemun was Yu Gwan-sun, a student from Ewha Girls High School. She was only sixteen at the time when her life was turned upside down forever.
As a bright young woman, Yu was captivated by the energy of the March 1st Movement. She was active in organizing a protest for Korean independence in her hometown of Cheonan on April 1st, 1919. Though the protest was peaceful, her parents were killed and Yu was sent to prison for committing the act of sedition.
It is hard to describe the kind of tortures that she faced at the hands of her captors at Seodaemun. Nonetheless, her desire for a liberated Korea remained strong. Yu declared in prison that, “even if my fingernails are torn out, my nose and ears are ripped apart, and my legs and arms are crushed, this physical pain does not compare to the pain of losing my nation.”
Due to the harsh beatings and poor conditions that she endured, Yu died in September of 1920. After her death was announced, the Japanese tried to dispose of the the body privately because they wanted to hide the evidence of torture. However, Lulu Frey, a principal at Ewha Girls High School, ensured the return of Yu’s corpse from Seodaemun so Yu could be given a burial.
Many freedom fighters and innocent people were killed during the Japanese rule, which lasted from 1910 to 1945. Perhaps we would not be here if it weren't for martyrs such as Yu Gwan-sun, who fought for freedom to the very end. Even though Japan and Korea have yet to find peace, Yu will be remembered for her courage in the face of war.
