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Yu Gwan-Sun (March 15, 1904-October 12, 1920) was a student and organizer in what would come to be known as the “March First Movement” against the Japanese occupation of Korea.^[1] In 1919, Yu Gwan-Sun was a student at Ehwa Women's School in Seoul, where she witnessed the beginnings of the demonstrations. Her deep faith in God and the teachings from the Methodist Ehwa School gave her the courage to act boldly. The school went into recess, because of an order by the Japanese government to close all Korean schools. Yu Gwan-Sun returned to her home village of Jee-Ryung. There, along with her family, she began to attempt to arouse public feeling against the Japanese occupation. She also planned a demonstration for independence, which included people from some neighboring towns, Yeongi, Chungju, and Jincheon, The demonstration was scheduled to start on the First of March 1919 (thus giving the name the “March First Movement”) at 9:00 a.m. in Aori Marketplace. She, along with about 3,000 demonstrators, shouted, “독립만세, “Dokrip Manse, which translates "Long live Independence!" The Japanese police were dispatched at around 1:00 p.m. that same day, and Yu was arrested with other demonstrators. Both her parents were killed by Japanese police during the demonstration. She served a brief detention at Chun-An Japanese Military Police Station, and then she was tried and sentenced to seven years of imprisonment at Seodaemun Prison. During her sentence, Yu Gwan-Sun continued to protest for the independence of Korea, for which she received harsh beatings and torture. She died in prison on October 12, 1920, reportedly as the result of torture. Her last words were "Japan shall fall." The Japanese prison initially refused to release her body, but eventually and reluctantly the prison released her body to Fry and Walter, principals of Ehwa Women's School and only after Fry and Walter threatened to expose this atrocity to the world. Her body was reported to have been cut into pieces.

She was given a national burial in 1962.

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