Ham, Sŏk-hŏn, 1901-1989

Ham Seok-heon (Korean: 함석헌; Hanja: 咸錫憲; 13 March 1901 – 4 February 1989) was a notable figure in the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) movement in Korea, and was nicknamed the "Gandhi of Korea." Ham was an important Asian voice for human rights and non-violence during the 20th century, despite numerous imprisonments for his convictions. He was a Quaker who concluded that all religions are on common ground in terms of human beings, a view shared by many Quakers. He encouraged peace and democracy and promoted non-violence movement known as "seed idea" (ssi-al sasang), consistently present in his books Korean History Seen through a Will published in 1948, Human Revolution in 1961, History and People in 1964, and Queen of Suffering: a spiritual history of Korea edited in 1985. He was also a poet and wrote about 120 poems such as "Song of the West Wind" written in 1983. In 2000, Ham was selected by the Republic of Korea as a national cultural figure.