"Delivering Secret Documents and Caring for Independence Fighters"... The Independence Movement of 74 Nurses

Korean Nurses Association Launches Nationwide Campaign for Liberation Day’s 81st Anniversary Highlighting Independence Activist Nurses
Leveraging Uniforms and Hospital Networks: Leading Demonstrations and Supporting Independence Fighters

During the Japanese colonial period, women's participation in the independence movement was often perceived as a supporting role to male independence activists. However, nurses who threw themselves into the frontlines of the independence movement over 100 years ago under the surveillance and oppression of Japanese authorities played a central role by utilizing their expertise and professional networks.

On August 14, the Korean Nurses Association announced that it would launch a public campaign marking the 81st anniversary of Liberation Day, aimed at spotlighting "74 independence activist nurses" who played proactive roles for their nation's liberation. The campaign seeks to shed light on the concrete activities of nurses, who have often been overlooked in independence movement history, and to emphasize their historical significance.

At the time, nurses were among the few professional women who had been educated in modern disciplines and contemporary medical technologies. Centered around hospitals and medical institutions, they leveraged personal and spatial networks to secretly transport documents and military funds, and directly participated in diverse aspects of the independence movement by protecting independence fighters.

The unique nature of nursing itself became a pathway for the independence cause. Nurse uniforms, medical supplies, and medicine boxes served as tools that could help evade the scrutiny of Japanese police, enabling nurses to discreetly deliver independence proclamations, secret documents, and funds.

Hospitals operated by foreign missionaries also became bases for the independence movement. Some hospitals disguised wanted independence fighters as patients to shield them from Japanese police, provided covert medical care, or helped them escape safely. In this way, hospitals evolved from treatment spaces to clandestine havens, protecting activists and facilitating information exchange.

There were also cases where nurses developed their own organizations and led mass independence demonstrations. Park Ja-hae, for example, formed the Ganwoohoe (Nurses’ Association) centered around the nurses of the Joseon Governor-General’s Hospital and led the March 1st Movement. Even after fleeing to China, she supported the activities of the Heroic Corps and remained committed to the independence cause.

The active roles of nurses extended beyond Korea's borders. Lee Aesi served as head nurse in the medical department at the Shinheung Military Academy in Manchuria, treating independence fighters and the wounded. Choi Sun-hwa contributed through the Korean Revolutionary Women's League, supporting the Liberation Army and participating in anti-Japanese propaganda efforts.

The Korean Nurses Association stressed that these women should not be remembered simply for "medical assistance" or "auxiliary participation." As professional women, they became a vital pillar of the independence movement by leveraging their knowledge, occupational expertise, hospitals as spaces, and social networks.

In commemoration of Liberation Day, the Korean Nurses Association will operate both online and offline campaigns so that people can remember the names and contributions of the 74 independence activist nurses. The Association also plans to continually uncover sources on nurses whose contributions remain underrecognized or who have yet to receive state honors. To systematically highlight the historical significance of the nursing independence movement, academic research and discovery projects will also be launched.

Shin Kyung-rim, President of the Korean Nurses Association, said, “Even in the face of Japanese surveillance and oppression, the courage and sense of duty displayed by our predecessor nurses, who actively sought out their own roles, continues to be a source of pride today. We will do our utmost to ensure that nurses play a central role in establishing a care system where everyone in the nation can live securely, inheriting and building upon their spirit.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.