Granddaughter of Korean independence fighter brings Korean history to US schools

Kim Hyun-ju, the granddaughter of Korean independence activists Yang Woo-jo and Choe Seon-hwa, has spent years promoting Korean history education in the United States. After discovering her grandparents’ diary, she published it as Jessie’s Diary and began teaching history classes for middle school students in 2007. She later helped remove a book from California school instructional materials and established education programs for Korean American youth and teachers.

Yang Woo-jo and Choe Seon-hwa kept the diary for eight years, beginning in 1938 with the birth of their eldest daughter, Jessie.

The diary describes the Korean Provisional Government’s life in exile, independence activists’ daily lives and figures including Kim Gu and Ahn Chang-ho.

Kim learned of the journal in 1998 while pregnant with her first child and published it as a book in 1999 after modernizing its language and adding recollections from her grandmother.

At the publisher’s request, a school district board voted in 2008 to remove So Far from the Bamboo Grove from its instructional materials.

Kim was first elected to the Fremont Union High School District board in 2018, won reelection in 2022 and is seeking a third term in the Nov. 3 election.

Published Oct 25, 2026 12:20 am KST

Kim Hyun-ju serves on the board of the Fremont Union High School District in California. Courtesy of Kim Hyun-ju

I want to help Korean American students take pride in their roots while growing into members of American society.

At the first Korea Book Festival in Vancouver, Canada, which runs through Oct. 31, a very meaningful book was exhibited: "Jessie’s Diary," reborn as a graphic novel. On Oct. 8, a session was held where readers read the original work and shared their impressions, receiving a great response. The graphic novel has been introduced in French, Chinese and Japanese, and preparations are underway to publish an English edition of the original work as well.

"Jessie’s Diary" is a child-rearing journal kept for eight years, beginning in 1938 with the birth of the couple’s eldest daughter, Jessie, by Yang Woo-jo (1897-1964) and Choe Seon-hwa (1911-2003), a husband and wife who participated in the Korean Provisional Government.

Alongside their deep love for their family, the diary chronicles the provisional government’s life in exile, the daily lives of independence activists and anecdotes about prominent figures in the independence movement, including Kim Gu and Ahn Chang-ho. It has been recognized for its historical value.

The diary came to public attention in 1999 when Kim Hyun-ju, 54, the couple’s granddaughter and the daughter of Jessie Yang, the diary’s namesake, published it as a book. Kim currently lives in the United States and serves on the board of the Fremont Union High School District in California. In a recent telephone interview, she recalled her first encounter with the journal: “When I first saw the diary, written so carefully, one character at a time, it felt as though my maternal grandfather, whom I had never met, had come back to life.”

The original "Jessie’s Diary," a child-rearing journal written by Korean independence activists Yang Woo-jo and Choe Seon-hwa while living in exile in China / Courtesy of Woorinabi

Kim learned of the diary in 1998, when she was pregnant with her first child. Her maternal grandmother, Choe Seon-hwa, entrusted her with an old brown journal she had carefully preserved. The lives and convictions of her grandparents, preserved in its pages, deeply moved her.

Having worked as a broadcast writer, Kim modernized archaic expressions and Chinese-derived words and added vivid recollections she had heard directly from her grandmother before compiling the material into a book. The publication celebration was especially meaningful, bringing together four generations of women: Choe, Jessie Yang, Kim and Kim’s first daughter, who was about 100 days old at the time.

The diary also changed the course of Kim’s life. After moving to San Francisco in 2000 to accompany her husband for his job, she became involved in Korean history and cultural education. At the time, even finding books about Korea in American libraries was difficult. She approached the Korean school her children attended and began teaching discussion-based history classes for middle school students in 2007, staying up through the night to prepare teaching materials. She eventually became a vice principal and then a principal.

The original "Jessie’s Diary," showing signs of age. In 1998, Choe Seon-hwa gave the journal to her granddaughter Kim Hyun-ju, who was pregnant with her first child at the time. Courtesy of Woorinabi

Kim laughed as she recalled how she would raise her young children’s arms whenever she changed their clothes and teach them to shout, “Long live Korean independence!”

Another experience also sparked her interest in history education. She discovered that "So Far from the Bamboo Grove," a book centered on a Japanese girl near the end of World War II that portrays Japanese people as victims and Koreans as aggressors, was being used as instructional material in some California schools.

“I was deeply shocked when I heard that a Korean American student who had read the book felt ashamed of being Korean,” Kim said.

Working with fellow Korean school teachers and other members of the Korean American community, Kim urged education authorities to remove "So Far from the Bamboo Grove" from the list of instructional materials. In 2008, at the publisher’s request, the school district board finally voted to remove the book.

“I sobbed in the bathroom all by myself because I thought of my grandparents. I felt that this was why I had come to America.”

From left, Yang Woo-jo and his eldest daughter, Jessie Yang; Choi Seon-hwa and her second daughter, Jenny Yang / Courtesy of Woorinabi

Since 2009, Kim has organized seminars on Korean history and culture for American teachers. Around 2012, she and Korean school teachers established the educational organization Echo Korea. She also runs the Young Korean American Academy, a summer camp for young people.

“I want to help Korean American students take pride in their roots while growing into members of American society,” she said.

Kim was first elected to the school district board in 2018 and won reelection in 2022. She is seeking a third term in the election on Nov. 3. Her dream is to one day meet her maternal grandparents and mother in heaven and proudly tell them about the path she has taken.

“My life’s mission is to carry on the spirit of the Korean independence movement. I will continue moving forward, using my grandparents’ lives as my compass.”

Works from artist Park Kun-woong’s graphic novel "Jessie’s Diary," on display at the first Korean Book Festival in Vancouver, Canada / Courtesy of Woorinabi

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

金贤珠是韩国独立运动领袖杨宇祚和崔善花的孙女，多年来致力于在美国推广韩国历史教育。她发现了祖父母的日记，并将其出版为《杰西日记》，于2007年开始为中学生讲授历史课程。之后，她还帮助加州学校将一本书从教材中移除，并为韩裔美国青少年和教师设立了教育项目。

杨宇祖和崔善花从 1938 年长女杰西出生开始，写了八年的日记。

该日记描述了朝鲜临时政府的流亡生活、独立运动人士的日常生活以及金九和安昌浩等人物。

金在 1998 年怀第一胎时发现了这本日记，并在 1999 年将其语言现代化并添加了祖母的回忆后出版成书。

应出版商的要求，学区委员会于 2008 年投票决定将《So Far from the Bamboo Grove》从其教学材料中移除。

金于 2018 年首次当选弗里蒙特联合高中学区董事会成员，2022 年成功连任，并将于 11 月 3 日的选举中寻求第三个任期。

发布于2026年10月25日凌晨12:20（韩国标准时间）

金贤珠是加州弗里蒙特联合高中学区的董事会成员。图片由金贤珠提供。

我希望帮助韩裔美国学生在成长为美国社会成员的同时，也能为自己的文化根源感到自豪。

在10月31日结束的加拿大温哥华首届韩国图书节上，一本意义非凡的图书亮相：《杰西日记》的图像小说版。10月8日，书展举办了一场读者见面会，朗读原著并分享感想，反响热烈。该图像小说已被翻译成法语、中文和日语，英文版的出版工作也在紧锣密鼓地进行中。

《杰西日记》是一本育儿日记，记录了杨宇祖（1897-1964）和崔善花（1911-2003）夫妇的育儿历程，从1938年他们的长女杰西出生开始，持续了八年。杨宇祖和崔善花是一对曾参与朝鲜临时政府的夫妇。

除了对家人深沉的爱，这本日记还记录了临时政府的流亡生活、独立运动人士的日常生活，以及金九、安昌浩等独立运动中重要人物的轶事。它因其历史价值而备受认可。

这本日记于1999年引起公众关注，当时54岁的金贤珠（Kim Hyun-ju）——这对夫妇的孙女，也是日记同名人物杰西·杨（Jessie Yang）的女儿——将其出版成书。金贤珠目前居住在美国，并在加利福尼亚州弗里蒙特联合高中学区担任董事。在最近的一次电话采访中，她回忆起自己第一次看到这本日记的情景：“当我第一次看到这本日记时，它写得如此细致，一个字一个字地写，感觉就像我从未谋面的外祖父复活了一样。”

《杰西日记》原著，是韩国独立运动人士杨宇祚和崔善花在中国流亡期间所写的育儿日记 / 图片由Woorinabi提供

金在1998年怀第一胎时得知了这本日记。她的外祖母崔善花将一本珍藏已久的棕色旧日记托付给了她。日记中记录着祖父母的生活和信念，深深地打动了她。

金曾是一名广播撰稿人，她将古老的表达方式和源自汉语的词汇现代化，并加入了她直接从祖母那里听到的生动回忆，最终将这些素材汇编成书。新书发布会意义非凡，四代女性齐聚一堂：崔、杨洁西、金以及金当时出生约100天的长女。

这本日记也改变了金的人生轨迹。2000年，她随丈夫搬到旧金山工作，并开始投身于韩国历史和文化教育。当时，即使在美国图书馆里找到有关韩国的书籍也十分困难。她主动联系了孩子们就读的韩国学校，并于2007年开始为中学生开设以讨论为主的历史课程，为此她常常熬夜备课。最终，她一路晋升为副校长，之后又升任校长。

原版《杰西日记》，已显岁月痕迹。1998年，崔善花将这本日记赠予当时怀有身孕的孙女金贤珠。图片由Woorinabi提供。

金女士笑着回忆起，每当她给孩子们换衣服时，她都会举起孩子们的手臂，教他们大喊：“韩国独立万岁！”

另一次经历也激发了她对历史教育的兴趣。她发现，一本名为《远离竹林》的书——讲述二战末期一位日本女孩的故事，书中将日本人描绘成受害者，将韩国人描绘成侵略者——竟然被加州的一些学校用作教材。

“当我听说一位读过这本书的韩裔美国学生为自己是韩国人而感到羞耻时，我感到非常震惊，”金说。

金与韩裔教师同行以及韩裔美国人社区的其他成员一起，敦促教育部门将《离竹林如此遥远》从教材清单中移除。2008年，应出版商的要求，学区委员会最终投票决定移除该书。

“我独自一人在浴室里嚎啕大哭，因为我想起了我的祖父母。我觉得这就是我来美国的原因。”

左起：杨宇祖及其长女杨杰西；崔善花及其次女杨珍妮 / 图片由Woorinabi提供

自2009年以来，金女士一直为美国教师组织韩国历史文化研讨会。大约在2012年，她与韩国学校教师共同创立了教育机构“回声韩国”（Echo Korea）。她还运营着“韩裔美国青年学院”（Young Korean American Academy），这是一个面向青少年的夏令营。

“我希望帮助韩裔美国学生在成长为美国社会成员的同时，也能为自己的文化根源感到自豪，”她说。

金于 2018 年首次当选学区委员，并于 2022 年成功连任。她正在寻求在 11 月 3 日的选举中获得第三个任期。她的梦想是有一天能在天堂与她的外祖父母和母亲相聚，并自豪地告诉他们她走过的路。

“我的人生使命是传承韩国独立运动的精神。我将继续前进，以祖父母的人生为指引。”

艺术家朴坤雄的图像小说《杰西的日记》中的部分作品，正在加拿大温哥华举办的首届韩国图书节上展出 / 图片由Woorinabi提供

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。