Muriel Jaisohn (right) was the daughter of legendary Korean figure Seo Jae-Pil, a.k.a. Philip Jaisohn (left). She often accompanied him on his travels, like when he returned to Korea in June 1947, after 50 years of exile. They are shown here being welcomed at the airport.
The epitaph composed by historian Chong-Sik Lee and etched on Philip Jaisohn’s memorial marble monument at Rose Tree Park in Media, Pa., reads:
He loved his native land, Korea; shook it from its slumbers, roused the young and thundered at the old
In exile, he embraced his adopted country, served it with true devotion, healed the sick, and advanced science
But he never forgot his native soil, spared no effort for her freedom
And, to the end of his life, he remained a dedicated champion of the cause of humanity everywhere.
And at the nearby Philip Jaisohn Memorial House, home to modern Korea’s icon and architect from 1925 to 1951, a historical marker states: “American educated medical doctor who sowed seeds of democracy in Korea, published the first modern newspaper (1896-98), and popularized its written language. The first Korean to earn a Western medical degree and become a U.S. citizen. He worked for Korean independence during the Japanese occupation, 1910-1945. Chief Advisor to the U.S. Military Government in Korea, 1947-1948. This was his home for 25 years.”
Philip Jaisohn (Seo Jai-Pil’s Anglicized name) was, and still is, a century ahead of his time.
This Thomas Jefferson of Korea looms like Mt. Everest — solitary, lofty and awe-inspiring, with much of his dreams and lessons yet unfulfilled in his divided, tense homeland.
At a young age, he fled the country for America via Japan, after a botched bloody coup in 1884 to topple the ruling monarchy. He changed his name to Philip Jaisohn and married Muriel Armstrong, the daughter of Col. George B. Armstrong (inventor of the U.S. rail postal system) and a cousin of 15th U.S. President James Buchanan. The couple raised two daughters, Stephanie and Muriel.
Muriel aboard a ship with her father in 1948, along with Channing Liem (far left), Philip’s secretary.
|
Throughout Jaisohn’s turbulent life until his passing in 1951, his youngest daughter, Muriel, was his light and delight, a constant companion and confidant. Even after his death, Muriel took charge of handling his huge legacy affairs.
After his passing, Muriel received the first message of condolence from Gen. John R. Hodge, the military governor of South Korea for the U.S. Army from 1945 to 1948: “I have no word that will or can ease your sense of loss of your father. Your father was a great man, broad and full in his perception and loyalties to his people, his friends and his family. He loved Korea and he loved his adopted country. One point in the whole Korean picture has been my wish that he could see the problem settled. I have loved him and admired him since I first saw him in Washington in 1947, and while he was in Korea. I wished a thousand times he had been 30 years younger. He lived a full life, and I wish … when my time for release from this troubled world arrives that I have done as much as he has to make it better.”
