SEOUL– Certificates of indebtedness issued by the Korean government in exile in 1919 to fight Japan’s colonial rule (1910-45) were made public Thursday.
The provisional government of the Republic of Korea based in Shanghai issued the bonds in the Chinese city and in Hawaii in 1919 to raise funds for the independence movement.
The Presidential Archives unveiled its collection of 60 original copies of the certificates sold in the United States and the list of 15 holders of them for the first time on its website (www.pa.go.kr) ahead of the Aug. 15 Liberation Day.
Among them is the certificate No. 1 with par value of $50 owned by C.S. Hong.
The securities were dated Sept. 1, 1919 and signed by Rhee Syng-man, then president of the provisional government, and Kuisic Kimm (Kim Kyu-sik), then chairman of the Korean Commission in the U.S.
Their holders include Cha Jung-suk and Oh Chung-guk, who made major financial contributions to the independence movement throughout the colonial period.
The South Korean consulate offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu collected the documents from 1953-54 under the direction of then President Rhee.
“The records of independence movement bonds unveiled on the occasion of the Liberation Day show clear examples of the fundraising campaign in which Koreans in the U.S. participated for the independence of their fatherland,” the archives service under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency