Cyber Diplomacy Organization VANK, led by Director Park Ki-tae, and the National Association of Korean Schools (NAKS), the world’s largest weekend Korean school network, have launched a year-long joint project to highlight the often-overlooked heroes of the Korean independence movement in the Americas.
NAKS is a nationwide umbrella organization representing more than 700 weekend Korean schools across the Americas. It provides comprehensive education in the Korean language, history, and culture to younger generations of Korean Americans, helping them develop a strong sense of identity and pride in their heritage.
From December 2025 to December 2026, over a 13-month period, NAKS’s monthly newsletter will feature a special chapter introducing a jointly selected “Korean Independence Activist of the Month in the Americas.” The series will spotlight 13 independence activists and Korean American historical figures who were active in the Americas but remain little known even locally. Those to be featured include Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, Lee Dae-wi, Ilhan New (Yoo Il-han), Susan Ahn Cuddy, Kim Jong-rim, Seo Jae-pil (Philip Jaisohn), Saemiri, Kim Young-ok, Jang In-hwan and Jeon Myeong-un, Kang Hye-won, Song Heon-ju, the Korean National Association, and Homer Hulbert.
Through the project, the two organizations aim to shed light on a diverse range of independence activists, including men and women as well as Koreans and non-Koreans, while highlighting the spirit of solidarity that shaped both Korean immigration history and the independence movement in the Americas. The initiative also seeks to reexamine Korean American history as an important part of U.S. ethnic history. Since 2025, U.S. high schools have been required to offer at least one semester of ethnic studies, making this an especially timely effort to raise awareness of Korean immigration history and related topics.
Each newsletter will include a jointly produced poster featuring the individual of the month. Rather than simply listing names and achievements, the posters will place each figure within the broader historical context of the Korean American community and explain the significance of their activities. For example, the patriotic act carried out by Jang In-hwan and Jeon Myeong-un is presented as a symbol of unity within the Korean American community and of the international impact of the independence movement. Homer Hulbert, meanwhile, is portrayed as an educator and diplomatic supporter who helped introduce Korea’s modernization and independence efforts to the world.
The posters will also include biographical details, major achievements, and links to related VANK YouTube videos, allowing teachers at NAKS-affiliated Korean schools to use them as practical educational materials. Through these resources, students will be able to see, hear, and experience the history and identity of Korean American independence movements more directly.
Park Gi-tae, head of VANK, said that Hallyu has now become a global trend and category in its own right. “Through this project, we hope the Korean American community in the Americas will help spread the spirit of Korea’s independence movement and the historical value of the Korean diaspora in educational and cultural ways,” he said.
He added, “At the root of Hallyu lies the spirit of the independence activists who dreamed big and challenged the world even during a time when Korea had lost its sovereignty. I hope Korean American youth will carry on their legacy as the Hallyu spirit of today.”
Kwon Yae-soon, president of NAKS, said that the organization’s core mission is to provide identity education for overseas Korean students. “By learning about the lives of these figures and inheriting their spirit, I hope the next generation of Korean Americans will develop pride in their roots and become a driving force in spreading Hallyu more deeply and sustainably around the world,” she said.
Choi Mi-young, chair of NAKS, noted that gaining a proper understanding of the 13 figures highlighted in the project is closely tied to understanding key currents in ethnic studies in the Americas. “The act of discovering and introducing figures who were largely unknown even in the Americas is itself a meaningful contribution to the study of Korean American history and ethnic history,” she said.
VANK researcher Kwon So-young said that, starting with this campaign, VANK aims to create opportunities for the world’s 7.5 million overseas Koreans to participate not merely as policy recipients but as active contributors. She explained that VANK will encourage such participation through its national policy proposal and communication platforms, Woollim and Yeollim.
Another VANK researcher, Koo Seung-hyun, said he hopes the campaign will help Korean language teachers and youth across the Americas gain accurate knowledge about Korea and grow into global ambassadors who promote Korea while carrying forward the spirit of Korean independence activists from more than a century ago.