Bo-eun leads the digital content team. She has covered foreign affairs, North Korea, tech, economy and gender issues at The Korea Times. She did a short stint at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, where she obtained a new perspective on news production and life. Small sources of joy for her are lounging in the sun, having a good latte and swimming.
Gov't to recognize unacknowledged independence fighters
The file photo shows people who took part in the independence movement against the 1910-1945 Japanese colonial rule. Korea Times file
By Kim Bo-eun
By Kim Bo-eun
The government is set to award Koreans who were imprisoned for fighting for independence during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation, but had not been acknowledged for their efforts.
A total of 5,323 Koreans were imprisoned for their involvement in independence movements according to data released by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Thursday.
Among them, 2,487 were not recognized for their efforts. The government is seeking to honor them this year, as Korea marks the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement in 1919.
The ministry collected data from 1,621 institutions across the country from March to November last year. There was a need to gather the data as much of it was not at the state's archive agency but scattered nationwide. The government launched the project to mark the 100th anniversary of the independence movement.
The largest number of those imprisoned were based in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province. Documents from Gwangju District Court showed that 86.9 percent of those tried there received at least a prison sentence, with some getting a life sentence or even the death penalty.
In Daejeon, South Chungcheong Province, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, many of those who took part in independence movements were flogged under immediate punitive orders from the military police or police stations.
Among the imprisoned who have not been recognized for their efforts, the largest percentage (23.3 percent) received a minimum one-year prison sentence, followed by 90 lashes of a whip (14.1 percent), 60 lashes (14 percent), six months of imprisonment (13.2 percent), three months of imprisonment (7.4 percent) and fines (7.3 percent).
Last year, the ministry also found that 396 students had been expelled or suspended from 11 schools for taking part in student movements against the Japanese occupation.