The Changemakers Series is designed to inform and inspire you with stories of ordinary people who dedicated their lives to spreading God’s Word around the world. Today, meet Dr. Philip Jaisohn, a lifelong advocate for freedom who found his inspiration in Scripture.

Dr. Philip Jaisohn was a founder of Korean democracy and is one of the Changemakers featured in the Faith and Liberty Discovery Center and our Faith and Liberty Bible. Over a period of more than 60 years, Jaisohn’s ideals of freedom and truth—inspired by his own encounter with God’s Word—helped transform his homeland of Korea.

An Early Exile

Dr. Philip Jaisohn was born Seo Jai-pil in Kanae Village, Korea in 1864. As a young man, he studied at the Youth Military Academy in Tokyo, Japan. Upon his return to Korea, he was named commandant of the Korean Military Academy.

Jaisohn was a strong believer in the ideals of civic equality and republican government, which contrasted starkly with Korea’s ancient feudal system. In 1884, he was exiled for his role in a failed political movement that sought to modernize and democratize Korea. He lived in Japan for a brief time before eventually traveling to San Francisco.

In the United States, Jaisohn met a group of Christians and eventually joined their faith, changing his name to Philip. He settled in Pennsylvania, where he found fresh encouragement in God’s Word and Christian community. Jaisohn believed that “Christianity was the most progressive religion, and that it went hand in hand with the principles of democracy.” His faith and fellowship with other believers also became a “safe haven” during his first years in America. A Christian benefactor helped Jaisohn pursue his education. Although he originally planned to study law, he changed his focus to medicine after working with Dr. Walter Reed and enrolled at Columbian Medical College (now George Washington University).

Over the next several years, Jaisohn experienced a series of historic firsts in his adopted country. In 1890, he became the first Korean to be naturalized as an American citizen, making him the first Korean-American. Two years later, he graduated from Columbian Medical College and became the first person of Asian descent to receive an American medical degree. In 1894, he married Muriel Armstrong, who was the niece of former President James Buchanan and a well-known socialite.

An Advocate for Freedom in Korea

Ten years after his exile, Jaisohn was allowed to return to Korea. While his ideals had not changed, he decided to adopt a slower approach to modernization. His new focus was influencing areas like medicine, education, and economics rather than targeting the current government. He even turned down an offer to become a high-ranking government minister, considering it more important to focus on educating the population.

To accomplish this, Jaisohn founded a new bilingual newspaper called The Independent. The paper was the first Korean newspaper printed in Hangul, the script read by most people. This made the newspaper accessible not only to elites, but also to everyday Koreans. Jaisohn hoped that the paper’s theme of civic equality would educate and inspire Koreans across the nation. He supplemented the printed word with lectures and seminars hosted by his Independence Club, which helped introduce the public to the ideas of modernization and democracy.

During this time, Jaisohn met Henry Appenzeller, an American Methodist missionary. Appenzeller invited Jaisohn to teach political science at Paichi Hakdang, a Christian school aiming to transform Korea into a “city on a hill” (Matthew 5:14). As a teacher, Jaisohn helped shape the minds of the next generation of Korean leaders—including the first president of South Korea, Syngman Rhee—and paved the way for the approaching Korean Independence Movement.

By 1898, Jaisohn’s efforts to reform Korean society had gained traction. Concerned by increasing public interest in Western ideals, the Korean government drafted a fake telegram claiming that Jaisohn’s mother-in-law was close to death. The family rushed back to the United States only to discover that Muriel’s mother was perfectly fine, and Jaisohn was forced to continue his work for Korea from afar once again.

A Visionary for God’s Word

In 1910, Japan annexed Korea, beginning a 35-year occupation. In the United States, Jaisohn worked tirelessly to promote Korean independence, starting several business ventures to help fund his cause.

In 1919, nonviolent independence demonstrations in Korea turned deadly when Japan responded by killing, imprisoning, and torturing thousands of Koreans. A month after the demonstrations, Jaisohn organized the First Korean Congress in Philadelphia, PA. He recognized the importance of Philadelphia in America’s independence story and drew inspiration from historic symbols like the Liberty Bell, which includes a famous verse from Scripture: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof” (Leviticus 25:10 KJV). He highlighted the Bible’s influence on the United States by asking Christian and Jewish clergy members to speak during the Congress.

In his own address to the Congress, Jaisohn shared how Scripture had influenced Korea and how he hoped the Bible would transform not only Korea, but the world:

Americans sent missionaries [to Korea] by the hundreds; they brought the Bible, with which they gave oppressed and unfortunate people a new hope and a new courage in this life. The evangelical efforts of these missionaries were followed by hospitals, schools, science, arts, music, and the spirit of independence and democracy. . . . [Now] Our aim is freedom from militaristic autocracy; our object is democracy for Asia; our hope is universal Christianity.

A Founder of Korean Democracy

Several years after the First Korean Congress, Jaisohn’s finances were strained from supporting Korean independence efforts. He returned to practicing medicine, working as a pathologist from 1927 to 1936 and eventually opening his own general practice. When World War II began, Jaisohn volunteered in the United States Army.

In 1945, Korea achieved its independence from Japan. After the Soviet Union and the United States divided the country into northern and southern zones, the temporary U.S. military government invited Jaisohn to serve as its Chief Advisor in South Korea. For many, Jaisohn seemed like the perfect candidate to become the first president of the new Republic of Korea—after all, he had been working toward the democratization of his homeland for more than 60 years. But Jaisohn declined, making way for his former student and First Korean Congress delegate Syngman Rhee to take on the historic role.

Jaisohn returned to his home in Pennsylvania. In appreciation of his service to his adopted country, he received commendations from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, President Harry Truman, and the U.S. Congress. He passed away five years later in 1951 at the age of 87. In 1994, his ashes were returned to Korea.

Today, Dr. Philip Jaisohn is remembered as one of the founders of modern Korean democracy. His legacy—which made history in both his native and adopted countries—speaks to his conviction and reveals his enduring reverence for Scripture.

Despite the challenges he faced, Jaisohn would not remain silent about the biblical values of truth, freedom, and human dignity. “When Christ preached the gospel at different places they scoffed at him,” he said during his address to the First Korean Congress. “Just the same, that didn’t stop him from preaching.”

As we look back on the life of Dr. Philip Jaisohn and other Changemakers who have guided our history, we thank God for the people he chose to champion the Bible cause around the world. Today, ask yourself how you can share the transformative message of God’s Word with the people in your life and become a Changemaker for our own time!

Blog Sources:

• The Faith and Liberty Bible. American Bible Society. 2021.
• “The Life of Dr. Philip Jaisohn (1864-1951).” Philip Jaisohn Memorial Foundation. https://jaisohn.org/dr-philip-jaisohn/.