Sohn Jung-do(1881.07.26 ~ 1931.02.19), pastor
Sohn Jung-do was born in 1881, between his mother and father who was a scholar and a wealthy farmer respectively, and had been entrusted with the task of raising funds for the independence army to be sent to the provisional government.
After reaching adulthood, he left his hometown to take the civil service examination and stayed overnight at a pastor’s house, where he was introduced to Protestantism. He then gave up the civil service path and pursued the path of becoming a pastor.
While attending theological school, he frequently visited a church where he met independence activists and learned about national consciousness from them, laying the foundation for developing the independence movement.
In 1910, when Korea was forcibly annexed by Japan, he emphasized the importance of spiritual unity in difficult times and took the lead in pastoral activities and promoting national consciousness.
Afterwards, he traveled between China and Korea, actively contacting independence activists and conducting missionary work for Chinese people in similar situations. He also devoted a great deal of effort to enhancing national consciousness in the Korean community in China.
As Japanese surveillance became increasingly intense, he avoided detection through undercover immigration and sent envoys to the Paris Peace Conference 1919 and special correspondents to the LN(League of Nations) to publicize Korea’s situation to the international community.
As the March 1st Movement broke out, Sohn Jung-do proposed the establishment of a provisional assembly, which led to the formation of the Provisional Government of Korea. He served as the second chairman of the provisional assembly and operated it in a direction that could help the independence movement, including passing bills on fundraising and utilization of independence funds.
Even after quitting the activities of the Provisional Government, Sohn Jung-do established schools in Manchuria and devoted himself to educating second-generation Koreans and promoting national consciousness. With the love for his country, Reverend Sohn Jung-do persevered through countless persecutions and surveillance. Now, become the 21st-century Sohn Jung-do and complete Korea that he dreamed of!