The Hahn 한 Family
José María Hahn 한종원
Korean citizen and
Independence Activist
José Hahn - Han Chong-weon: The day he became a professor and (on the right) his wedding to María Dolores announced in a Korean Newspaper.
The Scholar, the Diplomat, the Patriot: The Story of José María Hahn (한종원)
This is the story of a brave man—a scholar, a diplomat, and a visionary—who dedicated his life to the liberation of Korea, to defending the rights of Korean immigrants in Mexico, and to educating his community.
Our grandfather, José María Hahn (한종원 Han Chong-weon, born 한치혁 Han Chi-hyeog), arrived in Mexico with his parents when he was just eight years old. At the time, he could not have imagined that one day, he would be asked by Syngman Rhee (이승만), the first President of Korea, to serve as a cultural attaché and translator during an official Latin American tour alongside Ambassador Yu Chan Yang.
He also didn’t know that he would become a key leader of the Korean National Association in Mexico—a critical role in a time of global uncertainty and rising hope for Korean independence.
After graduating from the Escuela Normal Superior (Mexico's University of Educational Careers), he became a professor of history at both the University of Veracruz and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), devoting his life to the education of Korean youth and the preservation of Korean culture abroad.
From Diplomat to Defender of a People
In 1921, José moved to Mexico City, and by 1922, he was already serving as a representative diplomat for the District of Mérida. Later, as Commissioner of Education, he worked tirelessly to support the second-generation Korean community—especially in language, history, and cultural continuity.
Alongside Lee Sun-yeo (이순녀) and Hwangbo Yeong-ju (황보영주), he helped reestablish the Mukgyeong District, which had long been dormant. In May 1941, he was appointed a propaganda officer for the Mukgyeong Provincial District, actively supporting Korea’s independence movement while working to ensure the safety of Korean nationals during the early years of the Pacific War.
His efforts culminated on December 20, 1941, when three of Mexico City’s major daily newspapers published statements from the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, advocating for Korean independence and clarifying the position of Korean citizens living in Mexico.
My father Felipe Hahn Lee and his sister Emma Hahn.
My grandmother María Dolores Lee with her cousins and friends.
The top document reads:
MIGRATION SERVICE
FOREIGNER REGISTRY
ENTERED MEXICO THROUGH Salina Cruz on May 11, 1905.
REFERENCES Consul of Japan
(this due to the Japanese occupation of Korea at the time)
Below the document it reads in Korean:
Han Jong-weon's "passport" marked with Japanese nationality in 1930.
The bottom document reads:
DUPLICATE
MIGRATION SERVICE
Below the document it reads in Korean: Han Jong-weon's "passport" issued after he regained his Korean Nationality in 1949.
(After the Japanese were defeated by the Allied forces).
Hahn the Journalist
In January 1942, he published a bold article in Novedades, one of Mexico’s most prominent newspapers, titled “Let Koreans Repay the Favor of Former Mexicans.” The article urged the Mexican government to maintain strong diplomatic relations with the Korean exile community and highlighted the contributions of Koreans to Mexican society.
Through strategic communication and diplomacy, José Hahn built bridges between the Korean community and Mexican institutions—establishing ties with the press, government agencies, and foreign missions. He made it clear: Koreans were not colonial subjects, but free people, united in their struggle to overthrow Japanese rule.
Thanks to his efforts, Korean immigrants were officially registered as foreign nationals—a small but crucial act of sovereignty.
(Photo of registration below)
Hahn the Diplomat
On August 21, 1942, José Hahn sent a letter to Mexico’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. It began:
The Korean text below the document reads: Han Jong-won's August 21, 1942 Mexican recognition request official letter/Independence Memorial provided
"To His Excellency The Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Ezequiel Padilla
The undersigned José Hahn, of Korean nationality, residing at Moctezuma No. 58 of this Capital city, on behalf of the Korean Association of Mexico and the United Committee of Koreans in America, respectfully declare that:
Taking into consideration the state of war which the Mexican Nation is currently under, as well as our condition as Koreans, we have on multiple occasions and through several channels expressed our support for the Democratic cause, since it adheres to our own ideology and cause, and consequently, we should be considered as friendly sympathizers; Koreans living in the Mexican Republic are often mistaken for Japanese and treated as enemies.
For this reason, we entreat you earnestly to inform the Mexican authorities to treat us and protect us as friends of the Democratic and Libertarian Cause, and not as enemies, because Koreans are also fighting for our own Democracy and Freedom, as well as that of the whole world. For the aforementioned reasons, we beseech you once again to allow us to be oficially recognized by your Ministry and your honorable office and that this request be communicated to the Ministry of the Interior, so that this state of doubt and confusion in regards to Koreans cease.
I wish to reiterate our support and gratitude and remain yours most sincerely,
José Hahn"
Han Chong-weon. José Hahn, always active in the Korean Association in Mexico, working towards the Korean Independence Movement
Target of Suspicion
In November 1942, Mexico City Police Chief Miguel Martínez arrested José Hahn, who was then Secretary of the Korean Association in Mexico City. Colonel Daniel P. Fort accused Hahn of “having a conversation (with an unidentified person) that was contrary to the democracies.” Suspicion deepened when police found two foreign-language documents on Hahn. One was in Korean, which officers mistakenly believed used Japanese characters; the other, typed in English, was a letter from Mr. Chi Kin, head of the Korean Association in Mérida.
A translated excerpt read:
"At the present time America and Japan are at war and Mexico has declared war against Japan. This is a good opportunity for Koreans: one in a thousand years. (...) The matter we shall worry about is that during this bitter war... if the unlawful persons mistake Koreans for Japanese: how should we deal with the unreasonable and violent actions?"
These fears of mistaken identity and persecution were real. Hahn had been reported by a passerby who suspected him of being Japanese based solely on appearance. He was detained without evidence and forced to prove his legal status and innocence. Ultimately, General Martínez released Hahn after General Rojo personally vouched for him.
HAHN THE PROFESSOR in Mexico and Korea
Dr. Amalia Roales-Nieto of the School of Philosophy and Literature of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (University of Madrid), in her Doctoral Thesis "La Lengua y Cultural Castellana en Corea" (Spanish Language and Culture in Korea), shares an extract written by Professor Chang Sunion for Professor Roales-Nieto in 1965.
Hahn the Professor
Years later, José Hahn returned to Korea. According to Dr. Amalia Roales-Nieto of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, a pivotal moment in Spanish-language education in Korea came in 1955 with the founding of the School of Hispanic Language and Literature at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. One year later, Hahn joined the faculty after spending half his life in Mexico. His students were captivated by his profound knowledge of Hispanic culture and his logical, accessible teaching style.
In 1958, Hahn was appointed the third dean of Hankuk University.
Cultural Diplomacy and Honors
As Cultural Attaché, Hahn accompanied the South Korean ambassador on a diplomatic tour of Latin America. A May 5, 1956 article in La Nación (Santiago de Chile) described a special audience in which the ambassador presented gifts—including a portrait of President Syngman Rhee—to Chilean officials. Hahn appeared in the photo as the official translator.
On December 5, 1972, Han Jong-weon was awarded the Order of Civil Merit: Dongbaek Medal by South Korea’s Ministry of Education and Hankuk University. The Dongbaek Medal, part of a national honor established in 1951, recognizes outstanding contributions in education, society, and public service.
A Legacy Remembered
On November 17, 2021—decades after his passing—Han Jong-weon received a Presidential Citation from the Republic of Korea, officially recognized as an Independence Activist on the occasion of Patriots' Day.
HAHN TRANSLATOR of the FIRST PRESIDENT OF KOREA Syngman Rhee 이승만
La Nación. Santiago de Chile
May 5, 1956
Our grandfather José Hahn (on the right, wearing glasses) TRANSLATION TEXT BELOW PHOTO:
SPECIAL AUDIENCE. His Excellency Mr. (illegible) yesterday morning received the South Korean Ambassador to the United States, Yu Chan Yang. The diplomat, after hiws conversation with His Excellency, presented him with a Portrait of President Syngman Rhee, with a artistic frame made of ivory, as well as an ornamental wooden coffer and a book containing the Constitution of that country. In the photo appear H.E. with Ambassador Yu Chan Yang, his Naval Attaché, Kyo sup Chung, Mr. José Hahn, Translator and the Minister of the Secretary of State, Mr. Mario Ciudad.
Our grandfather's sister María Hahn, with whom he sailed to Mexico in 1905.
Our grandfather's diplomatic mission mentioned in the Korean Information Bulletin in the USA
Click the circle to read a Korean Newspaper Article written about the 4th Generation Hahn Lee Family
Click the circle to read the article in English. Please wait a few seconds for the English version to appear on your screen.
On December 5, 1972, Han Jong-weon was awarded the Order of Civil Merit Dongbaek Medal by the Ministry of Education and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
The Dongbaek Medal is a bronze medal with an eight-pointed silver gilt star base and three rays emanating from each arm. It is part of the Order of Civil Merit, which is an award given by the President of South Korea for outstanding service in the areas of politics, economy, society, education, art, or science. The Order of Civil Merit was established in 1951.
On November 17, 2021, Han Jong-weon was awarded a Presidential Citation as an Independence Activist, on the occasion of Patriots' Day.
Thank you Aunt
Chesun Lee Hahn이재순
The Hahns wish to thank Aunt Chesun 이재순, our great-aunt, daughter of our great-aunt María Hahn, who was José Hahn's sister.
She and our cousin Ulises Park generously provided us with information and unique anecdotes about our ancestors.
The QUIET ODYSSEY is a book you can buy here, It is a wonderful memoir that narrates the horrors and the beauty of a Korean inmigrant family's life in a foreign country. I truly recommend it, it will make you cry and it will also make you laugh.
Mary Paik Lee left Korea in 1905, just like our Korean ancestors in Mexico, after Japan took control of the country. Mary would one day marry H.M. Lee, who grew up in Mexico with my grandfather José Hahn (Han Jong Weon), as she narrates in the book.
Her father worked in the sugar plantations in Hawaii before taking his family to California, where they shared a life of poverty with thousands of Asian immigrants who worked the fields, as cooks and miners. She tells of the racismo she suffered all her life, of how the mercury in the mines affected her father's health, but also of entrepreneurial success.
SOURCES
http://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Contents/Item/E0072412
(2014) by Kim Do-hyeong (Independence Memorial Hall)
출처: 한국민족문화대백과사전(Han Jong -won)
http://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Contents/Item/E0072412
28) Byung-Duk Choi, pp. 117-118
29) Ibid, p.32, Roh Jae-yeon Joong-kwon, p.72
30) Shinhan Minbo, February 26, 1942, May 7, June 18, October 15, etc.
31) Jang Ki-cheol's testimony in Mexico City, 1996.
32) Kim Gwi-ok's Monthly 'Mal' Magazine, p.100, October 1995 and Study on Korean Overseas, No. 5, p.167, Note 7. Byung-Duk Choi, p.127, pp.150-152
59 From General Miguel Martínez to C. Licenciado Miguel Alemán, dated November 13, 1942. IPS 2-1/362.4(52)1590. Other arrested Korean Mexican men were Antonio Kim, Pedro Kim and José Sosa. From Ricardo Lee to Sr. José Hahn, dated June 6, 1942. IPS 2-1/362.4(52)1331.
60 Iun Chi Kin (sic) to Mr. Tsun Yuan Ham, signed “December of the 23rd year of the Republic of Korea” IPS 2-1/362.4(52)1590.
61 From General Miguel Martínez to C. Licenciado Miguel Alemán, dated November 13, 1942. IPS 2-1/362.4(52)1590. Other cases of Korean men whose civil rights were cancelled are in the following files: IPS 2-1/362.4(52)1082, IPS 2-1/362.4(52)1331, IPS 2-1/362.4(52)1617
Han Jong-won
Jose Hahn
Korean citizen, independence activist
Written (2014) by Kim Do-hyeong (Independence Memorial Hall)
출처: 한국민족문화대백과사전 (Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture)
"La Lengua y Cultura Castellana en Corea" by Dra. D. a Amalia Roales-Nieto
Madrid, España
"국외독립운동사적지
실태조사부고서. 멕시코 쿠바 (속편). 국가부훈처" (Historical sites for the independence movement abroad. Report of the fact-finding survey.
Mexico and Cuba (Sequel). Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs)