Yu Gwan-sun
Ewha student who led the protest at Aunae market and died in Seodaemun Prison
Born at Byeongcheon in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, she studied at Ewha school in Seoul. She joined the demonstrations in Seoul on 1 and 5 March 1919, and when the schools were closed she went home and travelled from village to village organizing a protest.
On 1 April she led thousands at the Aunae market in shouting "Manse!" with the Korean flag. Japanese military police opened fire, killing many, including her parents, and she was arrested as a ringleader. In court she is said to have protested: "I am Korean. You came to our land, killed our people and killed my parents — why do you judge me?"
Sentenced to three years and held in Seodaemun Prison, she led prisoners in shouting "Manse!" again on the first anniversary on 1 March 1920 and was severely tortured. She died there on 28 September 1920, aged eighteen. She was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation, Independence Medal, in 1962, raised to the Republic of Korea Medal in 2019.