Seo Jaepil (Philip Jaisohn)

Seo Jae-pil (1864–1951), also known as Philip Jaisohn, was a leading independence activist and journalist of Korea's enlightenment era who fled to the United States after taking part in the Gapsin Coup and there became a physician. After returning home he founded The Independent, a newspaper printed in Korean, in 1896, led the Independence Club, and spearheaded the building of the Independence Gate, spreading ideas of national self-reliance and civil rights. His enlightenment work helped awaken modern civic consciousness, and he was later honored with the Republic of Korea's Order of Merit for National Foundation.