Independence activist Lee Seok-gyu passes away at 100

Lee Seok-gyu, the last surviving independence activist in the Honam region, passed away on August 13 at the age of 100. His death leaves only three surviving independence activists in South Korea, located in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Jeju.

Born in Wanju, Jeonbuk in 1926, Lee was a key figure in the anti-Japanese student movement. While studying at Gwangju Normal School, he organized the ‘Mudeung Reading Society,’ a secret group that distributed banned Korean books and anti-Japanese leaflets. In 1945, the organization was discovered by Japanese police, leading to his arrest.

Following liberation, Lee dedicated himself to education, eventually retiring as the principal of Wanggung Elementary School in Iksan in 1992. He was awarded a presidential citation in 2010 for his contributions. His funeral will be a state-level service, and he will be interred at the National Cemetery in Daejeon.