Song Oh-kyun

Song Oh-kyun (Hangul: 송오균; Hanja: 宋五均; February 28, 1892 – June 20, 1970) was a rice farmer and Korean independence activist who was deeply involved in the Korean Independence Movement in the US. Between 1926 and 1945, he took leading positions in the Korean National Association (KNA),[1] the largest Korean immigrant political organization, founded in February 1909 by Ahn Chang-ho.

Song Oh-kyun
Born(1892-02-28)February 28, 1892
Pyongyang, Korea
Died(1970-06-20)June 20, 1970
Los Angeles, California
NationalityAmerican
Known forKorean Independence Activist
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationSong Ogyun
McCune–ReischauerSong Okyun

Life

Song Oh-Kyun was born in Pyongyang, Korea, in 1892. In October 1916, he immigrated to the US following his studies in Shanghai.[2] He attended the University of Southern California and received a master's degree in liberal arts. As a student, he was involved in organizations such as the Young Korean Academy (ko:흥사단), and after graduating in 1926, he joined his older brother Song Yi-kyun in taking various responsibilities within the North American Regional branch of the KNA.

2015 South Korean Presidential Commendation Award (대통령표창)

During his years in the KNA, he was involved in both its internal affairs and political activities in the Korean Independence Movement. He began his work in 1927 as a judicial officer in the Sacramento local assembly of the KNA. The following year, he participated in the 19th Delegates' Conference of the General Assembly of the KNA as a deputy delegate of the Los Angeles Local Assembly and then was chosen as a Bill Amendment Committee member.[3][4] In February 1931, he became a business staff member and in April a Dues Collection Committee member until 1938 when he was selected as a member of the Central Executive Committee of the KNA.[5] In 1943 and 1944, he was an Inspection Committee member of the Los Angeles Local Assembly, and in October 1944, a Central Inspection Committee member of the Central Executive Committee at the 9th Representatives' Convention of the KNA.[6]

Song Oh-Kyun and his older brother, Song Yi-kyun.

After the liberation of Korea from Japanese rule, he remained active in the organization as a Business Committee member in the Los Angeles Local Assembly and a Collections Committee member in the Overseas Ethnic Koreans' Convention.[7] As a member of the KNA, he supported the organization's independence movement fund on several occasions. He would also donate money to support Korean immigrants in other countries, such as Cuba and Mexico.[8]

Legacy

Following Song Oh-Kyun's death in 1970, the Korean newspaper Sinhan Minbo (신한민보) paid tribute to his decades of work for the Korean National Association.[9] In 2015, the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Commendation Award (대통령표창) by the Republic of Korea for contributing to the interests of the nation.[10] The Song family was officially presented with the award in a ceremony held on January 18, 2019 at the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles.[11]

See also

References
  1. Korean National Association Central and Local Officers (1944)
  2. "26 Men and Women Arrive from China" (in Korean). National Institute Of Korean History. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  3. "송오균" (in Korean). Encyclopedia of Overseas Korean Culture. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  4. "The 19th People's Congress" (in Korean). National Institute Of Korean History. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  5. "Korean National Association Supervisory Board Meeting" (in Korean). National Institute Of Korean History. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  6. "Ministry of International Affairs" (in Korean). National Institute Of Korean History. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  7. "Independence Patriots" (in Korean). Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  8. "Korean Relief" (in Korean). National Institute Of Korean History. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  9. "Song Oh-Kyun Laid to Rest in Wilshire" (in Korean). USC Digital Archives. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  10. "애국 충정의 그 이름, 잊지 않겠습니다" (in Korean). The Korea Daily. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  11. "미주 독립유공자 고 송오균 선생 훈포장 전수식 열려" (in Korean). Radio Korea News. Retrieved 2019-01-19.

Bibliography



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