The Koreans are Coming

In a time of dictatorship and censorship, I learned that courage can take unexpected forms—and sometimes, love is one of them.

In the late 1970s, South Korea’s economic miracle was in full swing. President Park Chung-Hee ruled with a heavy hand, and many of my friends were arrested or tortured by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA). Labor leaders and protestors disappeared without a trace. The Christian-inspired labor movement, rooted in human rights, clashed with the dictatorship, and student protests filled the streets demanding freedom for imprisoned poets, scholars, and journalists.

Women, Power, and Watchful Eyes

At Ewha Womans University, where I was part of the women’s studies program and leadership training for rural women, government agents began to take notice. Faculty members were routinely questioned and harassed. What bothered the KCIA most wasn’t the idea of women’s liberation—it was the idea that women wanted to make their own decisions about Korea’s future.

The international press also played a role in uncovering the truth. During that time, I met Rick Smith, a Newsweek editor eager to learn about Korea’s labor movement. He was tall, blond, and distinctly foreign—my “biological opposite,” I liked to joke. Together we traveled around the country, meeting activists, interviewing workers, and drawing the attention of the KCIA for all the wrong reasons.

Truth, Love, and a Shared Future

Rick’s Newsweek cover story, “The Koreans Are Coming,” highlighted the tension between South Korea’s economic growth and its political repression. The government’s attempts to censor the article only fueled curiosity, and suddenly, truth became something people sought out in secret.

That experience deepened my respect for journalists—and for him. We continued our work together despite the scrutiny, and in time, we were married by nine Buddhist monks in Thailand. Decades later, I still see that moment as a turning point: when speaking truth to power and following one’s heart were, quite literally, the same act of courage.