Song Oh-kyun
Song Oh-kyun was a rice farmer and Korean independence activist who was deeply involved in the Korean Independence Movement in the US. Between 1926 and 1945, he took leading positions in the Korean National Association, the largest Korean immigrant political organization, founded in February 1909 by Ahn Chang-ho.
Biography
Song Oh-Kyun was born in Pyongyang, Joseon, in 1892. In October 1916, he immigrated to the US following his studies in Shanghai. He attended the University of Southern California and received a master's degree in liberal arts. As a student, he was involved in organizations such as the, and after graduating in 1926, he joined his older brother Song Yi-kyun in taking various responsibilities within the North American Regional branch of the KNA.During his years in the KNA, he was involved in both its internal affairs and political activities in the Korean Independence Movement. He began his work in 1927 as a judicial officer in the Sacramento local assembly of the KNA. The following year, he participated in the 19th Delegates' Conference of the General Assembly of the KNA as a deputy delegate of the Los Angeles Local Assembly and then was chosen as a Bill Amendment Committee member. In February 1931, he became a business staff member and in April a Dues Collection Committee member until 1938 when he was selected as a member of the Central Executive Committee of the KNA. In 1943 and 1944, he was an Inspection Committee member of the Los Angeles Local Assembly, and in October 1944, a Central Inspection Committee member of the Central Executive Committee at the 9th Representatives' Convention of the KNA.
After the liberation of Korea from Japanese rule, he remained active in the organization as a Business Committee member in the Los Angeles Local Assembly and a Collections Committee member in the Overseas Ethnic Koreans' Convention. As a member of the KNA, he supported the organization's independence movement fund on several occasions. He would also donate money to support Korean immigrants in other countries, such as Cuba and Mexico.