Jang Il-Soon (3 September 1928 in

Wonju Wonju (; ) is the most populous Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gangwon Province, South Korea, with a population of 364,860 as of 2023. The city is located approximately east of Seoul. History During the time of Joseon, Gr ...

– 22 May 1994) was a South Korean educator and social and environment activist. His pen names are ''Chunggang'' (clean water), ''Muwydang'' (wu-wei), and ''Ilsokja'' (a hulled millet). He was a spiritual supporter of poet

Kim Chi-Ha Kim Jiha or Kim Chi-ha (; born Kim Yeongil (); 4 February 1941 – 8 May 2022) was a South Korean poet and playwright.LTI Korea Author Database: http://klti.or.kr/ke_04_03_011.do# Biography Kim Jiha was born Kim Yeongil () on 4 February 1941 ...

, who represented the democratization movement in the 1970s and developed a campaign for life through Hansallim. In 1994, he died from

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a malignant tumor of the stomach. It is a cancer that develops in the Gastric mucosa, lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a numb ...

Biography

As a child, Jang learned an esteem for life and

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

from his grandfather and Chagang Park, Ki Jung. In 1940, he graduated from Wonju elementary school, and was Christened ''John'' after being baptized at Won-Dong Catholic church. He studied at

Henry Appenzeller Rev. Henry Gerhard Appenzeller (February 6, 1858 – June 11, 1902) was an American Methodist missionary. He and four other missionaries, including Horace N. Allen, Horace G. Underwood, William B. Scranton, and Mary F. Scranton introduced Prot ...

's Pai Chai Middle School and Pai Chai High School in Seoul. After graduating from high school, he attended Gyeongseong Industrial Technical School (경성공업전문학교) in Seoul, but was expelled for opposing the appointment of

John R. Hodge General John Reed Hodge (12 June 1893 – 12 November 1963) was an American military officer of the United States Army. Hodge commanded Operation Blacklist Forty in 1945. He served as the governor of the American military government in Korea fr ...

to lead the

United States Army Military Government in Korea The United States Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) was the official ruling body of the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula from 9 September 1945 to 15 August 1948. The country during this period was plagued with political a ...

.Choi, Sunghyun, A hulled millet Jang Il-soon.(p.23) At that time he met Choi Je-woo and Choi Shi-hyung, who were major influences on him. In 1946, he entered began studying aesthetics at

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a public university, public research university in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the SKY (universities), SKY universities and a part of the Flagship Korean National Universities. The university's main c ...

, but left and returned to his hometown during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

in 1950. In 1954, Jang established the Dae-Sung school in Wonju in order to pass on the teachings of

An Chang-ho Ahn Chang Ho (; November 9, 1878 – March 10, 1938), sometimes An Chang-ho, was a prominent Korean politician, Korean independence activist, and an early leader of the Korean-American immigrant community in the United States. He is also comm ...

, and participated in the

One World Movement 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, comparing notes with Albert Einstein. From 1961 to 1963, Jang was incarcerated in

Seodaemun Prison Seodaemun Prison History Hall () is a museum and former prison in Seodaemun District, Seoul, South Korea. It was constructed beginning in 1907. The prison was opened on October 21, 1908, under the name Gyeongseong Gamok. During the early part of ...

and

Chuncheon Prison Chuncheon (; ; literally ''spring river''), formerly romanized as Ch'unch'ŏn, is the capital of Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city lies in the north of the country, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River. There are s ...

, because he advocated neutrality, peace, and unification. After being discharged from prison, he was kept under watch, so he remained in seclusion and concentrated on calligraphy. In 1971, he joined a street demonstration for

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

and struggled against the despotism of

Park Chung-hee Park Chung Hee (; ; November14, 1917October26, 1979) was a South Korean politician and army officer who served as the third president of South Korea from 1962 after he seized power in the May 16 coup of 1961 until Assassination of Park Chung ...

with Catholic bishop Ji Hak-soon. In 1973, Jang also helped start a disaster measure committee for assisting in disaster relief after flooding and advocated for miners' rights. In 1977, he switched from working for manual laborers and farmers to advocating for life based on symbiosis. In 1983, he established Hansallim union and held six private exhibitions in Seoul to promote the union, which is an organization established to connect rural farmers directly with urban customers. In 1989, he built a monument to Dong Hak's second leader, Choi Shi-hyung, in Hojeo-myun,

, where he was arrested by government troops. In 1993, he published a book, ''Lao-tzu Story Of Jang Il-soon'', which analyzed his views of life, with the help of minister Lee Hyun-ju.

Notes

References

*Jang, Il-soon. ''A universe in a seed.'' Daegu: Nokseakpyungronsa, 1999. *Jang, Il-soon. ''Lao-tzu story of Jang il-soon.'' Seoul: Samin, 2003. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jang, Il-Soon 1928 births 1994 deaths South Korean educators Deaths from stomach cancer