User:Dckewon5131/박동완

Park Dong-wan (December 27, 1885 – February 23, 1941) was a Methodist pastor and independence activist of the Korean Empire. The pen name was Geungok.

Life
Born in a relatively wealthy family in Dogok-ri, Yangseo-myeon, Gyeonggi-do he was the youngest son of his father Park Hyung-soon and once spent his childhood in Sineup-ri, Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do (aka Ho Byeong-gul), he grew up with the benefit of modern education. His father, Park Hyung-soon, served as the Tonghun Gammokgwan. After learning Chinese characters until the age of five, he entered elementary school, and then majored in English at Hansung Foreign Language School through Hansung Middle School, but when the school was closed in 1911, he moved to the university of Baejae School. He entered Protestantism while attending Baejae School. While working as a Methodist preacher at Jeongdong First Church, he worked as a secretary of the Christian news agency established by Methodists and Presbyterian Church and as an editorial member of the Christian News (founded on December 7, 1915). At that time, he served as a member of the YMCA of the Korean Central Committee.

In late February 1919, he participated in the March 1st Movement at the recommendation of Park Hee-do, and was selected as one of the 33 national representatives at the Christian representative meeting held on February 27. In the March 1st Movement, he participated as 33 national representatives along with Lee Pil-ju, a pastor of Jeongdong First Church, where he worked as a preacher. He was arrested in this case and served two years in prison for violating the Security Law and the Publication Law. He was 35 years old at the time, and represented young people along with Park Hee-do, Lee Gap-sung, and Kim Chang-jun.

After he was released from prison, he served as an executive secretary of the the Singanhoe, and was mainly engaged in the media business as the main writer of the Christian Sinbo and the week of the New Life. When "New Life" was closed in April 1925, he participated in the organization of the Heungup Club. After that, he was active in politics, and in January 1927, he participated as a promoter of the Singanhoe with Lee Sang-jae and Ahn Jae-hong and served as a permanent secretary of the headquarters.

On December 9, 1927, when a Korean living in Dongsam, China, was forced to be naturalized and persecuted by the Chinese government, he participated in the formation of the Jaeman-Dongpo Alliance and was appointed to the Central Standing Committee. After that, in January 1928, he traveled around Bongcheonseong Fortress and Gilimseong Fortress to examine the situation of his compatriots in Jaeman.

In mid-1928, he was sent to Hawaii and served as a pastor on the local island of Oahu for 12 years. While working as a pastor, such as the founding of the Korean Christian Journal, the Korean language school affiliated with the church was expanded to teach Korean history and culture.

He became seriously ill in early 1941 and died on February 23. He was 57 years old.

After death

 * The body returned to Korea the month after his death, and was buried in Manguri Cemetery at the funeral of Pastor Ham Tae-young.
 * The South Korean government honored him with the Presidential Medal of the Order of National Foundation in 1962 in honor of his contribution.
 * In 1966, it was relocated to the current cemetery of the National Cemetery in Seoul.

anecdote
There is an anecdote that the anti-Japanese consciousness was strong enough to delay the clock by 30 minutes and use it to avoid using the same time as Japan after the March 1 Independence Movement.

See more

 * a person who has been awarded the Presidential Medal for distinguished service to independence

Reference

 * Park Dong-wan: Meritorious Record of Independence Merit - Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs
 * Park Dong-wan - Doosan World Encyclopedia
 * Korean Methodist Society, Korean Methodist Character Dictionary - Park Dong-wan