Page 58 - NAKS MAC 2026 EBook

To provide context, Korea—the country that many of us associate with k-pop, skin care, and
delicious foods—did not exist only a century ago. Its people however, have cultivated farms,
established civilizations, and led dynasties on the same land for nearly 4,000 years. This
centuries’ worth of culture and pride as a collective people was completely overthrown by the
Japanese from 1910 to 1945. To the Japanese, Korea was a valuable template on which they
could manifest prosperity.

For the Koreans on the other hand, this only meant the start of a 35 year long occupation
bolstered by aggressive assimilation. They were forced to adopt Japanese names, worship
Japanese deities, and were even prohibited from speaking their mother tongue. As if these
measures weren’t enough for complete dominion, the Japanese also coerced tens thousands of
young Korean women and girls into sexual slavery, now known as ‘comfort women.’ Strict
surveillance was not a question, and even the smallest hint of anti-Japanese activities could end
dozens of lives. Even amidst these arduous conditions, many Koreans gathered in secret and
paved ways to preserve their culture and fight for independence.

Namely, ‘Malmoi’ (an old Korean word meaning “collecting words”) served as the first modern
manuscript for a Korean language dictionary. Initially compiled by scholar Ju Si-gyeong and
several of his students, Malmoi began in 1911 and continued until 1914. Although unprinted at
the time due to historical hardships, the manuscripts laid the crucial groundwork for future
Korean dictionaries. Malmoi wasn’t just a tangible document that protected a sacred language. It
was, or rather still is, a representation of the persistence in guarding Korea’s culture.

In a similar way, the Samil Movement was organized by several Korean religious leaders who,
with the spirit of independence, sought to respond to Japanese abuse with non-violent civil
disobedience. Koreans chose nonviolence as the basis for the independence movement for two
key reasons: First, Japanese troops with modern weapons were stationed throughout the country,
making armed revolt therefore futile. Second, the Samil Movement’s non-violent ideology
aligned with Christian precepts along with Mahatma Gandhi's then-ongoing non-violent struggle
against Britain.

Yet here, lies a third unintentioned reason. The Koreans’ controlled resistance did not prove to be
weak by any means. Rather, its silent and peaceful persistence served as the strongest fuel for the
protestors. They did not push with violence, nor did they seek to inflict harm on their
adversaries. Their quiet perseverance allowed them to maintain their purpose and the pride of the
Korean people.

The path of history has never been, and perhaps never will be free from conflict, bloodshed, and
war. This inevitability is not, however, an invitation to be a bystander, nor is it one to be a
perpetrator either. This also isn’t to say that efforts to suppress injustices are futile. Instead, we
must be responsible for weighing those injustices with scrutiny through a moral lens. We must be
able to distinguish the right from the wrongs and proceed with perseverance as the Founding
Fathers have done for posterity, as Yu Gwan-sun had done for Korea, and as the people of the
March 1st Movement have done for justice.

As the offspring thereof, we have a duty to assume this persistence and bestow it to future
generations. Inheriting our predecessors’ hushed perseverance does not indicate fragility. Instead,
it guarantees steadiness and longevity for the justices restored. It is within this component that
the spirit of independence is maintained, our history honored, and the future lighted.

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