Throughout Korea’s history, there have been many women who have made an impact on Korean history. These women are inspiring and deserved to be recognized for what they have done during their lives. The first woman to discuss is Queen Seondeok. She became the Queen of the Silla kingdom in the Three Kingdoms period. After her father, King Jinpyeong, had mentioned passing the throne down to his son-in-law, Queen Seondok asked her father for a chance to prove herself and was pronounced the queen in 632. She was the first known reigning Queen in Korean history and proved to many who thought it was wrong for women to inherit the throne incorrectly. She was a fair queen and aided in Silla’s goal to overtake the other two kingdoms to form a unified Korea. Queen Seondeok died due to illness, however, there was a coup in the work by other chairmen as they disagreed with women inheriting the throne. After her death her female cousin, Jindeok followed her rule.
The next woman who was a prominent figure in Korean history is Shin Saimdang. She appears on the 50,000 won bill. She was an extremely talented painter during the mid-Joseon dynasty era, She was self-educated and was a wife and a mother. She was one of the first women to ever try and achieve gender equality with the men in society. She not only was talented in painting but in literature, history, calligraphy, poetry, sewing and embroider. She was able to receive an education that was at the time given to only boys, but she was also able to successfully fulfill her traditional role of women in society.
There were many women who were a part of the Korean independence movement, and Kim Ransa was an important figure among them. Kim Ransa was a Korean teacher and activist during the Korean independence movement. She was a woman who convinced Ewha Hakdang to accept her as a student even though they did not accept married women. She became the first Korean woman to study abroad and earn a bachelor’s degree doing so. She was able to organize a secret Korean delegation to send to the Paris Peace conference in 1919 however, she never made it to Paris as she sadly passed away. Yu Gwan Sun was a student that had attended the school of Ewha Hakdang when Kim Ransa was teaching. She was also a prominent figure in the Korean independence movement. At only 17 years old she organized her own protest for Korean independence. She was arrested and died in prison after being tortured.
Lee Tai-Young became the first-ever Korean female lawyer. Her husband was arrested during the colonial era for anti-Japanese activities but, that did not stop her fight to achieve her goal of getting a law degree. She was the first woman to join Seoul National university in 1945 and graduated with a law degree. She then became the first female judge where she put women’s issues at the forefront of her career.
Kim Hak-Sun is a brave woman who was a victim of sexual slavery. Many women were forced as a ‘comfort women’ under Japanese colonial rule. She broke her silence in 1991 after years of being shamed for what occurred to her. She was the first to testify against Japan and she gave courage to many more women who came forward after her.
There are women who are making difference in recent years such as Cho Nam-Joo who became an author of her book “Kim Ji-young born, 1982” where she discussed her struggles with sexism as a young mom. It deals with post-partum depression, transgenerational issues, gender bias, and became a story that women could relate to as it was a shared experience for women. Dr. Yi So-yeon is also making a difference. In April 2008, she became the first Korean citizen to travel in space. There are so many other women who are changing and impacting Korean society currently and in the past.
Written by: Samantha Garcia. From New York , United States . Current 4th year student at John Jay college of Criminal Justice .Pursing an International Criminal Justice B.A and a minor in Psychology. Intern at VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea)