THE KUKMIN DAILY

[Mr. Myeong Han-shik, grandson of independence movement activist Myeong Yi-hang, during a visit to the Korean Culture Center of Hawaii, points to the Korean national flag used during the independence movement.]



Last month, both the Senate and the House of Representatives of the State of Hawaii, U.S.A., were offered resolutions related to North Korea. Both resolutions urge North Korea to engage in reunification dialogue with South Korea. Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 102 was introduced by Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland, and House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 216 by Representatives Beth Fukumoto Chang and three others.

The current status of the two resolutions is that SCR 102 has passed the public hearing, and HCR 216 is awaiting a public hearing. There still are many steps left including passage by the main assembly. Regardless of the final results, however, the evaluation of Hawaiian Korean society in general is that the very introduction of these resolutions in a State assembly is highly significant.

The bills are particularly meaningful for the Hawaiian Korean community because they are the result of the devoted efforts of one person, the descendent of a Korean independence movement activist. The hero of the scene is Myeong Han-shik, former president of Hawaii Evergreen Tree Forum. Mr. Myeong is a grandson of “Seongje” Myeong Yi-hang (1884∼1946), independence movement activist and educator.

Born in Yeongbyeon, Pyeonganbuk-do, Mr. Myeong crossed the 38th parallel to the South after Korean liberation. His brother participated in the Korean war as a South Korean army soldier and was killed by the North Korean army. Before learning what had happened to her son, their mother died. The Korean war itself is Mr. Myeong’s sad family history. His origin and experiences during the war motivated him to become interested in North Korean issues.

His meticulous preparations and efforts made it possible for the North Korea resolutions to be introduced by Hawaiian State Assembly members. From November last year to February this year, he sent emails to 30 Hawaiian senators and House representatives about the situation of human rights violations in North Korea and the circumstances of the Korean peninsula. Mr. Myeong also visited 20 of the lawmakers personally to explain the Korean situation. In preparation, he made a 200-page document containing a draft of the proposed resolution along with the rationale for its adoption. He photocopied his document and handed it out, along with a DVD of “witness” video clips by 10 North Korean defectors, to Assembly members.

He has visited the offices of Assembly members so often, that now when he phones them, they answer, “Yes, Peter (Mr. Myeong’s American name)!” On April 9, he said, “Before I die, I really want to see the Hawaiian Assembly adopt the North Korea resolutions.”

The road to the public hearing alone, however, was not an easy one. When he first began visiting the Assembly members and insisting on the necessity of this resolution, some looked at the 70-year-old Asian descendent with suspicious eyes. Mr. Myeong sent Christmas cards to the Assembly members and tried to get closer to them. But it was not easy to arouse their interest in North Korean issues, which on the surface bear little relation to the state of Hawaii.

Myeong’s wife was against the idea, too. She used to say, “Please stop. No one recognizes what you’re doing, no one wants to help you, so why do you hold on to it? Besides, please think of your age.”

The cost was also an issue. He said, “I work part-time at the Hawaii State Environmental Agency, and use all I earn for this project.”

Every time he feels he is stuck, he prays, asking God to help, if this is the right thing to do. Back in Korea, he attended Kangbyun Presbyterian Church in Seoul; in Hawaii, he attends Korean Christian Church.

The chances of the resolutions’ passage during this session are slim. Mr. Myeong explained, “The session ends on May 8, and I heard that there are 3,000 bills currently waiting to be passed… Almost every day, I call the members’ offices, check my emails, and examine the progress.”

“If it doesn’t work out this time, I’ll try again next year. I believe this is God’s last calling for me… to help the American society pay more attention to North Korean issues. I think this is my role for now, as the descendant of an independence movement activist.”

Article and photo by reporter Pyeong Seon Jeon (junbs@kmib.co.kr), from Hawaii, with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)


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