Dr. Philip Jaisohn, 1864-1951
First Korean American
Dr. Philip Jaisohn was a pioneer of independence, democracy and public awakening for the Korean people. After the failed 1884 reformation movement, he was exiled to the United States, where he became the first Korean-born to become an American citizen. A graduate of Columbian Medical College, he practiced medicine in Washington, DC, later serving the U.S. government as a wartime physician. Both in Korea and in the United States, Dr. Jaisohn made relentless efforts for the independence of Korea. In 1895, he briefly went back to his native soil, where he founded the first Korean language newspaper. In 1919, he organized the Korean Independence campaign in Philadelphia. Dr. Jaisohn will be forever remembered as a leader of Korean community and a leading spirit of Korea’s democracy and modernization.
[Inscriptions on adjacent statue:]
Philip Jaisohn
1864 - 1951
The First Korean American
Pioneer for the Korean Independence and Democracy
Philip Jaisohn loved his native land, Korea
Shook it from its slumbers
Roused the young and thundered at the old.
In exile, he embraced his adopted country
Served it with true devotion
Healed the sick and advanced science.
But he never forgot his native soil
Spared no effort for her freedom
to the end of his life.
[Translation in Korean (Hanjul) script.]
Marker is on Massachusetts Avenue, NW, west of 23rd Street NW, on the right when traveling east.
Courtesy hmdb.org
