Every year, when Liberation Day comes around, we summon the names of a few great figures. Their dedication and courage deserve to be etched in history. Yet the brighter those names gleam, the more the countless faces in their shadow fade from view. They held no high office and won no fame, but they loved their nation no less—and many gave their lives for it. Among them was Kim Young-sang. He refused hush money, was imprisoned, and ultimately ended his life in a hunger strike. Perhaps his is an ordinary-sounding name, but a single page of his handwriting grips us still—because of the spirit it carries.
Kim’s calligraphy is not flamboyant. In 金 (Kim), the center stands firm, pressed low with weight and purpose. In 永 (Young), the vertical stroke runs true, the brush tip unshaken. Below it, the dots and shorter lines flow softly yet never slacken. 相 (Sang)—a complex structure—unfolds with measured breath, calm and deliberate. The long horizontals admit no gaps, each one solid and sure. This is not the hand of a showman, but of a man strict with himself—upright, restrained, and incorruptible. Such writing could only come from someone too principled to compromise with the world.
There were many Kim Young-sangs among us. Quietly, in anonymity, they chose the just path. They drafted proclamations, they fought, some died behind bars. A few were given medals, but the honor was brief and the world soon forgot. Their lives, however, did not waver. They sought not celebrity but conviction; not power but conscience. Because of them, we are here.
Even now, we must speak their names. Someone must keep the record; someone must inscribe their spirit in words. If Liberation Day is truly to honor those who gave body and soul for their country, then names like Kim Young-sang must be called from the podium. Liberation was not achieved by illustrious names alone. It was a chorus of the nameless, standing guard like shadows at our side. Today, we bow our heads and call their names. Kim Young-sang.
Published in the Chosun Ilbo, August 19, 2025.