Bahng, Sa-gyum: He described Korean independence movement works in his life-time dairy.
Bahng, Sa-gyum aka Samuel Bahng arrived in Hawaii 1904 at the age of 23. Realizing there is no hope there, he moved to San Francisco where he met Dosan Ahn Chang Ho for the firs time. He changed his life to commit himself to Korean independence. When he was well-off with ginseng business, he moved to Chicago to study. He married a picture bride Salome Lee in 1916. His ginseng business expanded to Australia and Cuba. He was highly successful in japchae (stir- fried glass noodles and vegetables) wholesale enterprise and he had a a Chinese restaurant. He actively supported Syngman Rhee’s independence efforts. He and his wife took care of their ten children well. Three years prior to his demise, Samuel took time to re- write his autobiography within seven volumes of hispersonal diary. The Independence Hall of Korea located in Cheonan City, Chung- nam Province, Korea published his extensive personal notes and anecdotes for Korean independence movement records in 21 volumes in 2006. The third son Young Bahng resides in Pasadena, California. Samuel passed away on December 8, 1955 and is buried in Rosedale Cemetery, Los Angeles in California. In 2011, the South Korean government posthumously recognized him with a National Foundation Commendation for his service toward Korean independence and Bahng Sa Gyun’s Autobiography.
◀ The Korean Independence Hall of Korea published Samuel Bahng’s personal diary: (9/2006)
