Taeguk's Echo

What would you do if you watched your country fall under colonial rule, knowing that everything you loved was at risk? For Hwang Hyeon, the answer was to record the truth, even when the future of Korea seemed uncertain.

For the past 20 or so episodes, we’ve talked about the people who dedicated their lives to Korea’s independence. But not everyone fought for the same cause. Some Koreans chose a different path, one that helped Japan maintain its colonial rule over Korea. They became known as the chinilpa, or pro-Japanese collaborators, remembered by many as traitors to their own country. So, who were they, and what led them to make these choices?

What would you do if you watched your country fall under colonial rule, knowing that everything you loved was at risk? For Hwang Hyeon, the answer was to record the truth, even when the future of Korea seemed uncertain.

What happens when someone who fought for a country's independence later becomes one of its most controversial historical figures?

She wasn't just fighting for Korea. She learned to fly. This is the story of Kwon Ki-ok, Korea's first female aviator and an independence activist.

You’ve probably heard of the March 1st Movement. But did you know it reached all the way to Jeju?

We know Yu Gwan-sun as an independence activist. But in the court record, she was something very different: a criminal. So what exactly did the colonial court say she had done?

He lived in Japan for years. Then he returned with a bomb. Meet Lee Bong-chang, the Korean independence activist who attempted to assassinate Emperor Hirohito in 1932.

Korean Independence Activist who wasn't Korean.

Ahn Chang-ho was an independence activist who believed that Korea’s independence began with educating and strengthening its people. This episode explores his work in education, community organization, and the Korean independence movement, and the lasting ideas behind his vision for an independent Korea.