Descendants of patriots grappling with poverty

Descendants of freedom fighters pose in this Aug.4 , 2015 file photo. / Korea Times photo by Shin Sang-soon

By Kang Hyun-kyung

In the summer of 2017, Bae Jung-hun, producer of SBS TV's popular investigative program "Curious to Know," posted a combined image of two houses ― one was a luxurious mansion surrounded by a stone wall and leafy green trees and the other a shanty house in an unnamed rustic neighborhood ― on his Twitter account.

"The one on the left is the house of a descendant of a man who served the Japanese authorities during the colonial period, and the one on the right is that of a descendant of a freedom fighter," he wrote. "What a contrast! I'm struggling to figure out how such a deep gap between the two families was formed and what produced their current polarizing economic status."

His Twitter message went viral as it came days before the anniversary of Korea's liberation from the Japanese colonial rule on Aug. 15, 2017.

Independence fighters have been lauded for their heroics, and their role in Korea's independence from Japan's occupation in 1945 has been revisited every year when major anniversaries, such as Liberation Day or the anniversary of the nationwide independence uprising on March 1 approach.

While their proud parents and grandparents were depicted as heroes, many of their descendants are struggling to make ends meet.

According to weekly magazine "Sisa In," six out of every 10 descendants of freedom fighters who were recognized as patriots by the Ministry of Patriots and Veteran Affairs were jobless. The magazine conducted a survey of 6, 300 people in 2008. Among the 40 percent who were "fortunate" to be employed, it found only 10 percent had stable jobs, while the remaining 30 percent were in precarious employment.

The circumstances for children and grandchildren of high-profile freedom fighters are better than those of unsung heroes who sacrificed themselves to gain Korea's independence but whose roles were forgotten. Some offspring say they didn't know their ancestors were such great people until some media outlets discovered them and ran their stories.

In a media interview, Kwon Hyun, a board member of Liberation Association, a non-profit group aiming to strengthen solidarity and fraternity among descendants of patriots, said only a handful of members of the organization lead decent lives.

"Children and grandchildren of high-profile freedom fighters are recognized by the community and receive due treatment, but the vast majority of others have no such treatment. They struggle to make ends meet," Kwon said.

Kwon said freedom fighters' descendants also carry additional pressure because of their well-known ancestors.

"Even though they are poor, they don't speak openly about their economic situations because if so, they're afraid their proud ancestors' legacy could be tarnished. So they stay silent about their situations."

An unnamed niece of famous independence fighter Yu Gwan-sun (1902-1920) reportedly didn't mention that she has family ties with the female freedom fighter. Yu was arrested by the Japanese police in the midwestern city of Cheonan while spearheading protests on March 1, 1919 and put behind bars. She was tortured to death a year later.

Yu's niece, who is in her 70s now, is known to work as a cleaner and earns 800,000 to 1 million won (less than $1,000) per month. She remains anonymous because she didn't want to taint her aunt's legacy.

Some children or grandchildren of freedom fighters suffered during their entire life after their parents or grandparents who fought for Korea's independence were falsely accused of having sided with Communist North Korea.

In the 1970s, there was a practice prohibiting government offices and private companies from hiring children or family members of people who were convicted of espionage. Discrimination based on family ties caused them to remain jobless or forced them to take on unstable jobs throughout their lives.

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