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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

The 'New Woman' Who Went North: Independence Activist Heo Jeong-suk

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • Heo Jeong-suk, a prominent independence and women's rights activist, became a socialist and married communist activist Im Won-geun.
  • Known as the "Koltay of Joseon," she advocated for women's liberation and economic independence, challenging traditional norms.
  • After participating in anti-Japanese movements and surviving imprisonment, she moved to North Korea and held significant political positions under Kim Il-sung's regime.

Heo Jeong-suk (1902?-1991) was a trailblazing independence activist and a prominent figure in the early women's rights movement in Korea. Daughter of lawyer and independence activist Heo Heon, she embraced socialism in 1922 after meeting key figures like Ju Se-juk, Park Heon-yeong, and Kim Dan-ya.

Her marriage to communist activist Im Won-geun in 1924, without family consent, made her a symbol of the "new woman." She championed women's liberation, advocating for economic independence and free love, drawing comparisons to Soviet feminist Alexandra Kollontai, earning her the moniker "Koltay of Joseon."

Women's liberation fundamentally stems from economic independence.

— Heo Jeong-sukHer assertion on the basis of women's liberation.

Heo Jeong-suk played a crucial role in organizing student protests following the 1929 Gwangju Student Movement, leading to her arrest and imprisonment. After her release, she continued her activism, including a period in China where she became a key figure in the "Yan'an faction" and participated in armed struggle against Japanese rule.

Following Korea's liberation, Heo Jeong-suk moved to North Korea. During the Korean War, she actively participated in propaganda efforts. Notably, in the 1956 "August Faction Incident," she sided with Kim Il-sung against former colleagues from the Yan'an faction, a decision that secured her survival and subsequent rise within the regime. She held various powerful positions, including Minister of Culture and Propaganda and Vice Chairwoman of the Supreme People's Assembly, until her death in 1991.

Do not demand that women remain chaste unilaterally.

— Heo Jeong-sukHer argument regarding marital fidelity.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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