About
Born in 1864 in Boseong County, Korea, Soh Jaipil participated in the failed Gapsin Coup of 1884, forcing him to flee to the United States in 1885. Becoming a U.S. citizen in 1890 under the name Philip Jaisohn, he earned a medical degree in 1892. Returning to Korea in 1896, he founded the first Korean-language vernacular newspaper, Tongnip Sinmun, and the Independence Club, advocating democracy and national sovereignty. Forced into exile in 1898, he continued his activism from the United States. After Korea's liberation in 1945, he returned as an adviser to the U.S. military government. He died in 1951 in Philadelphia.
* 1864-01-07 — † 1951-01-05
Major works
- Tongnip Sinmun (The Independent) (1896)newspaper
Key milestones
- 1884Participated in the Gapsin Coup, a failed reformist attempt.
- 1890Becomes the first Korean naturalized as a U.S. citizen.
- 1896Founds the Tongnip Sinmun newspaper and the Independence Club.
Themes
Korean independenceDemocracySocial reformPress and freedom of speechNational identity
Sources: id.loc.gov · britannica.com