Patriot of Independence · Domestic Anti-Japanese Resistance · Independence Medal (Dongnip-jang) (1962)
Same-name figures:
김마리아(金瑪利亞) — Independence patriot · Student movement · Presidential Citation (2018)
| Life | 1892 ~ 1944 |
| Era | 근현대 |
| Clan | 광산 김씨 |
Kim Maria (1892-1944), born in Jangyeon, Hwanghae Province, took part in the February 8 Declaration of Independence while studying in Tokyo in 1918, then returned home to rally women nationwide behind the March First Movement, for which she was imprisoned and permanently injured by torture.
After her release she led the Korean Patriotic Women's Association, which grew to roughly 2,000 members across 15 chapters, funneling funds to the Provisional Government until she was arrested again and given a three-year sentence, later suspended due to her deteriorating health from earlier torture. In 1923 she went to the United States, earning a master's degree in sociology from Park College and the University of Chicago while working with Korean-American women's patriotic groups. She returned to Korea in 1933 to teach at the Martha Wilson Memorial Theological Seminary in Wonsan, and died there in March 1944 from a recurrence of her torture-related illness; per her wishes, her remains were cremated and scattered in the Daedong River.