Seoul: South Korea will confer a state medal on a U.S. missionary in recognition of her support for independence fighters, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day, the veterans ministry said Wednesday. The ministry will posthumously award an Independence Medal to Geraldine Fitch, who helped key members of Korea's provisional government on the verge of being arrested by Japanese authorities safely escape during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. August 15 marks the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Geraldine Fitch's husband, George Ashmore Fitch, previously received the same state medal in 1968 for assisting the Korean independence movement. Alongside Fitch, the ministry will award 310 other people in recognition of their contributions to the country's independence.
With the latest recognitions, South Korea has honored 18,569 independence activists since 1949.