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Gallery head translates Women's Declaration of Independence into English
Lee Sung-sook, director of the National Women’s History Exhibition Hall
By Kim Se-jeong
By Kim Se-jeong
Lee Sung-sook, director of the National Women’s History Exhibition Hall, has done what no one else has done in women’s history in Korea -- she has translated the Korean Women’s Declaration of Independence into English.
The text was signed in 1919 by eight women in Jilin, northeastern China. They signed it under fake names and it is hard to know who they really were.
In the declaration, they deplored the nation being taken by Japan and encouraged other women to keep their spirits up in the hope for independence and freedom.
The original text was found in a book owned by independence fighter Ahn Chang-ho (1878-1938), and her daughter donated it to the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, where it is held.
“The declaration is extremely significant,” the director said. “Imagine what the life would have been like back then. Women had no identities, confined to home. Being somewhere other than their homes and speaking out required unthinkable courage.”
The translation project was completed just before the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule on Aug. 15.
The English version will appear in the catalog of a special exhibition on female independence fighters to be held at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in Seoul from Aug. 12-23.
“Besides the translation, we’ll keep working on other projects to make people know about the significant chapter of women’s history in Korea and the whole world,” Lee said.
Lee joined the exhibition hall in 2012. Before that, she taught the history of feminism and gender equality at a couple of universities and the Korean Institute of Gender Equality Promotion and Education.
The director said there are so many great stories of women in Korea. “They are just unknown. I myself have learned a lot, and am glad to be able to tell these great stories to others.”
The gallery is in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. It opened in 2002 in Seoul and moved to its current location last year.
She thinks Korea needs a larger-scale museum to better deal with women’s history.
“We have come a long way,” she said. “I believe it’s time for a full-fledged history museum on Korean women in Korea. The idea has been around, but the government has difficulty securing funds for it.”