Lee Mi-han, an 11th grader at Georgetown Day School in Maryland, read her essay entitled, “A New Country, A New Century, A New Freedom,” at the dedication ceremony for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in the Lincoln’s hometown of Springfield, Illinois.

Jung, a graduate of what would later become Yonsei University, supervised the Korean Language Society’s work on a Korean dictionary and was imprisoned along with fellow language scholars Lee Hee-seung and Choi Hyeon-bae. He was a director at the Korean Language Society for over 50 years until his death in 1986, and was given a number of awards by the state for his contribution to the nation.

“My understanding of freedom is inextricably tied up with my understanding of language,” Mi-han said in her essay. “My great-grandfather, in 1940s Korea, was arrested for putting together the first Korean dictionary, when the language had been banned by the Japanese government.”

“My great-grandfather believed that words, the medium by which we formulate and share ideas, can bind and break the very ideas they express if the language is that of an oppressor,” she continued. “I believe that freedom in the 21st century means the liberty of individuals, regardless of age, race, gender, or class, to express themselves in their own words, and to use those words to shape history.” She also said, “I am Korean-American, I am young, and I am free. I speak?not always articulate, not often right, but always in my own words. I speak, and I listen.”

Bush gave special thanks to Mi-han for “elegantly expressing life in a free society.” C-SPAN, which broadcast the ceremony throughout the United States, said Mi-han had earned SAT scores good enough to get her into any university in the U.S., while Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich said he didn’t know what score she got on the SAT, but as he became governor with a less than stellar SAT score, she could become president of the U.S.

Born in the U.S., Mi-han is the daughter of FDA pathologist Lee Jong-hun, the son of Jung’s second daughter Jung Deok-mo. Jung’s grandson Jun Jin-hyeon, a teacher at Eungwang Girls High School, said the scholar’s home in Jangsu County, North Jeolla Province was being preserved with support from the national treasury, as was construction of a museum dedicated to the scholar. The museum is scheduled to open on Hangul Day, Oct. 9.

Jung contributed five pieces to the Chosun Ilbo, including an outline of the history of the Korean alphabet. In the Dec. 20, 1938 edition of the paper, he introduced a number of word games developed to preserve the Korean alphabet during Japanese colonial rule. Jung served as a teacher after liberation, and showed such energy that right up to his death he held lectures for his students at the 10-pyeong (about 33 square meters) Korean-style home where he lived his entire life.

(englishnews@chosun.com )