VANK, led by director Park Gi-tae, announced on Feb. 5, 2026, that it will launch a global awareness campaign to identify and highlight “Eulsa Heroes” around the world and to share each country’s spirit of resistance.
The concept of “Eulsa Heroes” was first introduced in a campaign VANK carried out in the first half of last year. At the time, the group ran an “Eulsa Heroes Campaign” honoring five Koreans—Hwang Hyeon, Shin Dol-seok, Jo Byeong-se, Min Yeong-hwan and Ahn Jung-geun—who resisted the 1905 Eulsa Forced Treaty.
In the new campaign, VANK plans to expand the concept globally by commemorating figures from various countries who resisted imperialism and by using their stories to build global solidarity for peace.
Through the campaign, VANK aims to move away from framing imperialism solely as a history of defeat and instead highlight resistance, identifying and reexamining cases from regions including Europe, ASEAN and South America.
A VANK researcher said the group expects the campaign to help form a shared global understanding of the values of resistance to imperialism, with Korea taking a leading role.
An English version of the campaign poster has also been produced to allow social media users worldwide to participate without language barriers.
VANK plans to collaborate with overseas youth researchers to produce content introducing resistance figures from their respective countries.
Director Park Gi-tae said that while the Eulsa Forced Treaty marked the day the Korean Empire’s diplomatic rights were taken by imperial Japan, there were also those who resisted. He emphasized that remembering and honoring those who resisted, rather than focusing only on dark chapters of history, is the proper way to carry forward the spirit of the independence movement.
In addition to the Eulsa Heroes campaign, VANK has continued efforts to shed light on independence activists in Korean communities in the United States, including figures such as Lee Dae-wi and Kang Hye-won, and to run campaigns honoring them.
The group said it will continue to identify lesser-known independence activists and promote their achievements and historical significance.