Minerva Louise Guthapfel(🇺🇸):

[1873. 9. 23 ~ 1942. 11.09]

Achievements

Early Life and Missionary Work

• Born on September 23, 1873, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

• Joined the Methodist Church and became a missionary, sent to Korea in 1903.

• Worked in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province as a missionary until 1912.

• Published Happiest Girl in Korea, a collection of her articles, later translated into Korean as Okbun, the Happy Girl of Korea

• Cultural Observations in Korea

  • Critiqued the patriarchal stereotypes and superstitions prevalent in Korean society at the time.

  • Highlighted the kindness and simplicity of the Korean people in her writings.

  • Shared the moving story of Okbun, a 14-year-old abused girl who received amputation surgery at a Methodist hospital and still expressed happiness.

• Advocacy for Korean Independence

  • Returned to the United States in 1912 but continued to support Korea’s independence struggle.

  • In 1919, after learning about the March 1 Movement, she toured Midwest churches, informing them about the situation in Korea.

  • Joined the Korean Friendship Society in Chicago as secretary, advocating for Korean independence and raising funds for relief efforts.

  • Issued a circular in 1920 condemning Japanese atrocities in Korea and petitioned the U.S. Congress for Korean independence.

  • In 1921, co-signed a petition urging the inclusion of a Korean representative at the Washington Conference on Disarmament.

• Legacy and Recognition

  • Continued to serve as a Methodist missionary until her death on November 9, 1942, in Evanston, Illinois.

  • Interred in a Chicago cemetery.

  • Honored by the South Korean government with a national pavement in 2015 for her contributions to the Korean independence movement.