Faith in Exile: How Christianity Helped My Korean Patriot Ancestors Resist Empire

By Grace Hahn

Great-granddaughter of Lee Geon-se and granddaughter of Han Jong-weon, patriots of Korea’s Independence Movement

The Lee family, including patriarch Patriot Lee Geon-se or Alfonso Lee.

Introduction: A Patriotic Whisper from the Past

I grew up in a house that echoed with voices from the past.

We lived “Korean style” in Mexico City — multiple generations under one roof, with grandmothers, great-aunts, and cousins all sharing the same narrow hallways and warm, bustling kitchen. There was always a quiet rhythm to our lives — slippers on tile, rice steaming, quiet conversations in a language I barely understood.

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