The resolution, passed Jan. 13 on Korean American Day, says the Senate offers its sincerest congratulations to Korean activist Yu Gwan-sun. (image: Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the U.S.)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — The Senate of the U.S. state of Maryland has adopted a resolution marking the 100-year death anniversary of a Korean activist who fought for independence from Japanese colonial rule.
The resolution, passed Jan. 13 on Korean American Day, says the Senate offers its sincerest congratulations to Yu Gwan-sun, who was 16 years old when she led a pro-independence rally in her hometown of Cheonan in 1919.
She died in September 1920 during imprisonment after succumbing to wounds inflicted by Japanese prison officers.
Yu’s “ultimate sacrifice … serves as an important example in the ongoing struggle for freedom and democracy,” the resolution reads.
Separately, Montgomery County, Maryland, issued a proclamation the same day to acknowledge Jan. 13 as Korean American Day.
The proclamation recognizes the contributions Korean Americans have made in “virtually all aspects of American life,” including commerce, technology, medicine and education.
“Montgomery County, the state of Maryland, and the entire United States are richer for the contributions of the Korean American community,” it reads.
The U.S. Congress passed a resolution in 2005 to commemorate Jan. 13 as the day the first wave of Korean immigrants arrived in Hawaii in 1903 to work on sugarcane plantations.
(Yonhap)
