Selected as "January Independence Activist", the protagonist of the Ama Jeju Anti-Japanese Movement = South Korea

Korea's Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Kwangbokhoe, and Independence Hall of Korea announced on the 31st that they have selected Dr. Pu Chunghwa, Kim Okryong, and Pu Dokryang as "independence activists in January 2022."

From 1931 to 1932, these women led the anti-Japanese movement in Jeju, which resisted the seizure and exploitation of Japanese imperialism and the sea maiden union. The Ama Jeju Anti-Japanese Movement is evaluated as the largest anti-Japanese movement in Jeju Island with a total of more than 17,000 participants. It is listed as one of the three major anti-Japanese movements in Jeju along with the Hwacheon anti-Japanese movement and the Chaotian movement.

This is the first time that a native from Jeju Island has been selected since 1992, when the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs began announcing this month's independence activists.

These three are former members of Jeju Island Kujamyung. Pu Chun-hwa was 15, Kim Ok-ryong was 9, and Pu Do-kryan was 13, when they started their lives as an ama to support their family's livelihood.

From 1928 to 1931, the teachers woke up to modern anti-Japanese and nationalism by studying together at the night school of Hado school.

In 1930, when Hado youths who were protesting the illegal sale of Gelidium algae by the Ama Union were arrested by Japanese military soldiers, the ama who lived in the same area also resisted.

The following year, in December 1931, teachers were elected representatives of the Shimodori Ama Conference to protest the exploitation of Japanese imperial ama.

On January 12, 1932, Jeju Island Tsukasa and the head of the sea maiden union conducted a patrol on the day when the market was established on the former left side of Jeju City, Cephaly. On the other hand, the ama divers from all over Jeju, including the ama divers from Shimodori, shook "key only" and "abalone gane" (tools for collecting abalone) for demonstration.

The teachers negotiated directly with Jeju Island in order to fulfill the requirements such as "Opposition to the union leader and the exclusion of Japanese merchants". Feeling threatened, Jeju Island promised to resolve the requirements within five days.

After the return of Jeju Island, Japan dispatched military police and arrested 34 ama and dozens of adolescents from January 23 to 27.

The teachers were arrested by the gendarmerie and suffered from being imprisoned in the gendarmerie detention center for several months as unsentenced prisoners. Dr. Pu Dokryan died at the young age of 28 when his body was weakened by the aftereffects of torture.

To honor the achievements of the teachers, the Korean government awarded Pu Chun-hwa and Kim Ok-ryong with the Medal with the Founding of the Kingdom in 2003, and Dr. Pu Do-Kryan with the Medal with the Founding of the Kingdom in 2005.