A historical exploration program is being promoted for descendants of Korean American independence activists to retrace the footsteps of their ancestors in South Korea. This initiative is expected to raise awareness of the independence movement among the younger generation and serve as an opportunity to discover forgotten independence fighters and their descendants in America.
The Korean National Association Memorial Foundation (Chairman Jennifer Choi) and the LA Chapter of the Gwangbokhoe (President Kim Hye-ja) are jointly promoting the ‘2027 Next Generation Homeland History Tour’ and are currently recruiting participants to send 10 descendants of independence activists to South Korea in March of next year.
Participants will be selected through an evaluation of their lineage as independence activists, academic performance, and essays. The application period runs from the 26th of this month until November 30, with selection results announced in mid-December. Detailed information can be found on the Korean American Education Research Institute website (kaercedu.org/home.html).
Selected participants will visit South Korea for a 6-night, 7-day schedule in late March of next year. They plan to visit sites such as the National Cemetery, the Independence Hall of Korea, the Seodaemun Prison History Hall, the National Memorial of the Korean Provisional Government, and the War Memorial of Korea to learn about the history of the independence movement. Dr. Cha Jong-hwan of the Korean American Education Research Institute donated $20,000 to support the program.
This program originated from a proposal by Ahn Sung-joo, the chairperson of the promotion committee and a descendant of independence activist Kim Ho. The initiative was inspired by Chairperson Ahn’s past experience visiting historical sites of the independence movement in South Korea at the invitation of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.
Chairperson Ahn stated, ‘I was deeply moved by seeing the history of our ancestors firsthand,’ adding, ‘I hope the descendants will build mutual bonds through this experience and grow into leaders of the Korean American community.’
President Kim Hye-ja remarked, ‘I hope this program becomes an opportunity for the descendants of independence activists to look back on their family history and take an interest in related materials,’ and added, ‘I hope the younger generation directly learns about the sacrifices of their ancestors and gains pride.’
The two organizations also plan to uncover independence activists, their descendants, and related historical materials through this opportunity. They aim to collect independence movement records and artifacts scattered throughout the Korean American community and unearth the achievements of independence activists who have not yet received government commendation.
Chairman Jennifer Choi stated, ‘The independence movement in America is relatively less known compared to its historical significance,’ and expressed her desire to ‘discover descendants and historical records to widely publicize that history.’ The organizers plan to continue the homeland history tour every two years moving forward.
