In memory of Maria Kim
By Seo Young-hoon
A few days ago marked the 101st anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, where the Korean people marched while shouting “Manse” and calling for Korean independence from Japanese imperial rule. However, as the years passed, people only know of a few selected individuals such as Yu Gwan-sun, while other heroes remain in obscurity despite their great feats. One such individual is Maria Kim, who fought for the liberation of the nation and women.
Maria Kim helped embody the spirit of the Korean Independence Movement, devoting her life to the cause of freedom. From the young age of 27, Maria began to actively involve herself with the movement. Prominently, she led the preamble of the March 1 Independence Movement and carried the secret documents of the Declaration of Independence herself, despite the detrimental implications in the event of capture.
Despite numerous rounds of torture, Maria Kim maintained her will for Korean independence, at which point Japanese prosecutor Kawamaura simply remarked, “You are a hero. But perhaps your mother was a greater hero for giving birth to you.” In spite of the toll of the injuries from the torture, she failed to waver, as she led the Korean Patriotic Women's Association and later “Keunhwahoe” (a patriotic Korean association for women) in New York. Ahn Changho, one of the most prominent Korean independence activists, claimed that had there been ten women like Maria, Korea would have been independent long before 1945.
The noteworthy aspect of Maria Kim was that she did all this as a woman in a country dictated by rigid Confucian ideals. The society emphasized a woman's role as being a faithful wife and mother, and, although the two are admirable and integral parts of society, women themselves lacked the self-determination and independence as individuals. Women were to be dependent on the men, to leave the matters of the nation to the hands of men while they retreated to deal with matters within the household.
For Maria Kim, however, this was ludicrous. She marked that “we wives are also part of the people. Toward recovering national and human rights we must only move forward with no retreat. I urge you to be courageous women and unite for this noble cause.”
It was the duty of a woman as a free Korean individual to join and march along with their counterparts, the men, as equals under the Korean flag, with the chants for independence and freedom. Under the flag of independence, there was no difference between the old and young, men and women, or rich and poor. All barriers, in the forms of age, gender, and socio-economic status, were broken. With the chant of “Viva Korean Independence,” everyone was Korean, united under the common goal of freedom.
One hundred one years after the March 1 movement, our society has mostly forgotten who Maria Kim was, much less her impact on the movement and the rights of the women. This, however, is not to say that the legacy and spirit of Maria Kim do not live on within the hearts of those suffering from oppression, regardless of one's nationality, gender, or religion, Maria Kim extends her hands with an invitation to join the fight for independence.
Seo Young-hoon (
yseo2021@chadwickschool.org
) is a student at Chadwick International School in Incheon.