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cristinaro wrote: ↑02 Jan 2021, 08:17 I think Mr. Seoh's behavior is pretty duplicitous. On the one hand, he doesn't openly join his friend in his fight for independence and chooses to keep his job at the bank. On the other hand, he receives Mr. Koo in his house whenever he needs it and also gives some money to the cause every time he can. His position was not different from that of other aristocrats or middle-class Koreans of the time, who used to secretly fund the resistance movement. If you ask me, their attitude was nothing but a comfortable way to appease their guilty conscience.

cd20 wrote: ↑02 Jan 2021, 18:57 I think he did what most people do, look out for their family and take care of self. He knew if he joined Mr. Koo he risked his job, and ultimately his home. His wife was having another baby and they needed their income. I think had he been in a different position he might have made a different choice.

Phelicia Gloria wrote: ↑04 Jan 2021, 02:25 For me I think he could have fought for independence, this was going to save many people including the family, for me I could have fought for independence, and save my country. I might secure a job there in future.

MrsCatInTheHat wrote: ↑04 Jan 2021, 08:37 These kinds of decisions are what I call "a rock and a hard place" decisions. One is about self-preservation (taking of yourself and your family), and the other is about the bigger picture (fighting for the future of your world). As a female, in the early 1900s, I would really only have the choice of supporting my husband's decision. I imagine that I would be conflicted and that I would probably choose self-preservation until things got to be bad. In reality, though, none of us really know what we'll do until we are actually in that situation.

cristinaro wrote: ↑02 Jan 2021, 08:17 I think Mr. Seoh's behavior is pretty duplicitous. On the one hand, he doesn't openly join his friend in his fight for independence and chooses to keep his job at the bank. On the other hand, he receives Mr. Koo in his house whenever he needs it and also gives some money to the cause every time he can. His position was not different from that of other aristocrats or middle-class Koreans of the time, who used to secretly fund the resistance movement. If you ask me, their attitude was nothing but a comfortable way to appease their guilty conscience.

Mvictoria wrote: ↑06 Jan 2021, 10:39 I agree with the many others who believe that this decision truly put Mr. Seoh between a rock and a hard place. I, like some others, believe that he chose his family over the resistance and that it was not the prestige of the job that kept him from joining the resistance. I admire his continued dedication (albeit small) to the cause, despite his family. However, I can also see how this could be considered hypocritical. I truly think the resistance was a double-edged sword for Mr. Seoh. If he joined, he could be risking all that he had built, as well as his family. He also had to consider his current position at work. His family would be lost without him and I think this weighed heavily on his mind as he made the difficult decision.

Booksmart-56 wrote: ↑08 Jan 2021, 14:11 Mr. Seoh had a family. Therefore, his obligations as a father required him to support his family. Yet, in some way, he was fighting against the Japanese by ensuring the continuation of his culture, language and heritage through the construct of family.