Yu Chin-san

Yu Chin-san (18 October 1905 – 28 April 1974) was a South Korean politician and Korean independence activist. He was born with the name Youngpil but adopted the name Chin-san and the art name Okgye  later in life.

Biography
Yu Chin-san was born into a poor farming family in Geumsan county on 18 October 1905. In May 1919, he actively participated in the March 1st Movement, a significant anti-Japanese protest in Korea. After graduating from Bosung High School in 1923, he studied at Waseda University in Japan, but dropped out in his third year to return to work for agricultural organizations in Korea.

In 1933, Yu left Korea for Shanghai and was appointed as a liaison to the Korean Provisional Government (KPG). In 1934, he was arrested in China by the Japanese police and repatriated to Korea. Despite the challenges, he managed to escape to the Manchuria region of Northeast China as a liaison for the Provisional Government of Korea. However, he was arrested once again and deported back to Korea, where he remained imprisoned until the end of the Japanese occupation.

Following his release in 1945, Yu joined the White Shirts Society, a right-wing terrorist group. In 1949, he became a member of the Special Investigation Committee of Anti-National Activities, but the organization was soon disbanded. In 1950, he ran for the National Assembly in the newly established Republic of Korea but was unsuccessful. Nevertheless, he achieved success in the 1954 elections and served as the leader of the opposition party for a substantial period. Yu Chin-san was a member of the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 9th sessions of the National Assembly of Korea.

He died on 28 April 1974.

Popular culture

 * Portrayed by Lee Hyo-jung in the 2002–2003 SBS TV series Rustic Period.