Descendant of Independence Activist, Park Myung-hyun Donates 15 Million Won in the Veterans’ Benefits
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2025-06-02
Research Professor Park Myung-hyun (Class of ’06, School of Business), a descendant of an independence activist, has delivered a heartwarming message by donating the compensation her family received from the government as a student scholarship.
Professor Park is the great-granddaughter of the late Park Do-cheol, a freedom fighter, who led a pro-independence demonstration in Jincheon, Chungcheongbuk-do in 1919 and was martyred. After graduating from our university’s School of Business Administration, she now works as a research professor. Last month, she and her father, Park Young-seop, donated 15 million KRW (approx. $11,000) in veterans’ benefits to be used as a student scholarship for descendants of independence patriots at the university.
Park Do-cheol, who held the rank of second lieutenant in the Imperial Korean Army, was killed by Japanese gunfire during a protest on April 3, 1919. His mother also died that same day while protesting the death of her son. The remaining family members burned their family registry in order to avoid the Japanese police’s persecution of the remaining family and left their hometown, living on in poverty.
Thus, due to a lack of sufficient historical and family records, Park Do-cheol’s government honors were rejected several times, and it was only in 2021—102 years after his death—that he was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Patriotic Medal, with the help of local historians.
Professor Park Myung-hyun and her father are not only supporting scholarships at our university but also collecting the monthly veterans’ benefits provided by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to offer scholarships to students in Gwanghyewon-myeon, Jincheon County. Last year, they donated 10 million KRW (approx. $7,200) to help construct a memorial tower honoring the pro-independence protest in which Park Do-cheol participated.
In addition, they are personally funding the establishment of a memorial foundation to commemorate the Jincheon independence movement and are planning educational programs such as tours of historical sites related to independence activists and lectures for students.
In a media interview, Research Professor Park Myung-hyun said, “Rather than spending my great-grandfather’s compensation money for personal use, I wanted to use it for something meaningful.”
A representative from our university stated, “This donation is especially meaningful as we mark the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation, reminding us of the historical value of the independence movement,” and added, “As Korea’s first women’s university founded on national ideals by the Korean Empire, Sookmyung Women’s University will actively support the descendants of independence activists to honor our alumna’s noble cause.”