I hope that readers will offer more encouragement and motivation for the first volume. On this foundation, I aim to accurately depict their images through the three volumes and ultimately present their true selves. I hope everyone will engage with this work, either with a gaze of encouragement or, at times, with compassion and criticism.
The first generation of women featured in the first volume is Hyun-sil Han. She was a Chosun woman with a resilient will, who recognized early on the importance of learning advanced culture and promoting women's education. In 1900, she traveled alone to Shanghai to pursue her studies. Afterward, she worked in Chosun and with the Provisional Korean Government in China, dedicating nearly her entire life to the independence movement and the women's movement. Despite being a woman, her strength was equal to that of any man. After liberation, she returned to her homeland, South Korea, with the members of the Provisional Government. Despite her poor health, she continued to devote herself to the women's movement and political activities for the national cause, ultimately succumbing to illness after years of hard work. She passed away at an age of 68.
Her daughter, Myeong-hwa, did not live with her parents. She left for America at an early age and earned a doctorate from a prestigious university in Boston. After the liberation of South Korea, she returned to her homeland as a university professor. Due to her close ties with America, she held senior government positions in the U.S. Military Government in Korea and the pro-American First Republic, contributing to the administrative development of South Korea. Later, she returned to a university, where she served as a professor and witnessed the downfall of the Syngman Rhee’s regime. At the same time, her daughter, Soon-young Lee, grew up independently.
The first volume covers the period from the late Chosun Dynasty in the 1880s to the First Republic. The second one will span from the Second Republic to the Sixth Republic, while the final third volume will cover the period of the Seventh Republic (the civilian government) and beyond.
Standing at the crossroads leading to summer, and at the start of a long journey through the rushing rapids.
YoungPak Lee 이영백
