
On May 29 of 1905, four young brothers followed their patriarch Mr. Kang, Myung-hwa on the ship China to the United States. The four brothers were born in Pyung-An Namdo, now North Korea, and they arrived in Honolulu in the same year. Later, Young-so remained in Hawaii while the other three brothers headed to mainland San Francisco. Dad and first son Young-dae joined the Gong-Lip Hyup Hoe founded by Dosan Ahn Changho, while Young-so who remained in Hawaii joined the Hap-song Association there. In 1905, Koreans were dejected over the illegal Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty where Korea had lost its sovereignty to Japan. However, their spirit was emboldened by the assassination of pro-Japanese Durham White Stevens in San Francisco by two brave Korean American patriots Jeon, Myeong-hwan and Chang, In- hwan. This assassination of an American traitor brought a momentum where the Koreans united into their action for national independence and became an effective catalyst for the birth of the Korean National Association. These five proud Kang brothers together with their father became Korean patriotic leaders for independence both in Honolulu and San Francisco respectively from the same family background. This unique fact that the same six family members became a six recognized independent patriots by the Korean government is unheard of. The head of the Kang householder was elected as the president of Korean National Association in Riverside while his two sons in Hawaii and San Francisco were also chosen by the Korean National Association to spearhead the Korean independence.








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