Oh Hee-ok
Oh Hee-ok | |
|---|---|
오희옥 | |
 | |
| Born | 1926 |
| Died | November 17, 2024 (aged 98) Seoul, South Korea |
| Resting place | Seoul National Cemetery |
| Awards | Order of Merit for National Foundation (1990) |
Oh Hee-ok (Korean: 오희옥; 1926 – November 17, 2024[1]) was a South Korean Korean independence activist. She was the last surviving female Korean independence activist recognized by the South Korean government.[1][2] A member of the Korean Liberation Army and Korea Independence Party, she resisted the Japanese occupation of Korea whilst in exile in China.[3][2]
Biography
[edit]Born whilst her family was in exile in Manchuria,[4] she was the daughter of independence activists O Kwangsŏn and Chŏng Hyŏnsuk (정현숙).[3][4][2] Her grandfather, O Insu (오인수), was also an independence activist.[2][4] Oh joined the Korean Liberation Front Youths Mission Corps (한국광복진선청년공작대) in April 1939. She performed some espionage work for them.[1][2] In January 1941, her group was merged into the Korean Liberation Army.[2] Upon the 1945 liberation of Korea, she was in Chongqing, along with the rest of the Korean Provisional Government.[4]
After the 1950–1953 Korean War, she worked for 38 years as a primary school teacher.[5] She had one son and two daughters.[1]
In 1990, Oh was awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation from the South Korean government.[1] In 2017, she sang the national anthem at a National Liberation Day of Korea ceremony, which was attended by president Moon Jae-in.[5] In 2021, she became the last surviving female Korean independence activist, after the death of Min Yeong-ju (민영주).[1]
She died on November 17, 2024 at around 3:08 p.m.,[6] at Seoul Veterans Health Service Medical Center (서울중앙보훈병원). Coincidentally, she died on Patriotic Martyr's Day, which commemorates Korean independence activists.[2] A memorial ceremony was held for her at Seoul National Cemetery on November 20.[6] The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs lowered their flags to half mast around the country in her honor.[5] Her remains were interred at that cemetery thereafter.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "[단독] '3대가 독립운동' 오희옥 지사 영면…국내 생존자 4명으로". Koreadaily - 미주중앙일보 (in Korean). 2024-11-17. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ a b c d e f g 최, 원정; 이, 영섭 (2024-11-20). "동지 곁에 잠든 마지막 여성광복군…오희옥 지사 빗속 영결식(종합)". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ a b c "Last surviving female member of the Korean Liberation Army interned at Seoul National Cemetery". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 2024-11-20. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ a b c d ""'독립투사 삶 인정해달라' 하면 '돈 때문에 저런다'고…"". 한국일보 (in Korean). 2017-08-13. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ a b c Moon, Ki-hoon (2024-11-18). "Oh Hee-ok, last female Korean independence fighter, dies at 98". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
- ^ a b "'마지막 여성 광복군' 오희옥 애국지사 별세… 향년 98세". 조선일보 (in Korean). 2024-11-17. Retrieved 2024-11-22.