Photo: Pattynotheme / CC0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What strikes me about Kang We-suck is how young he was when he put everything on the line. Launching a civil rights campaign as a Seoul student in 2003, then enduring two hunger strikes the following year, takes a conviction most adults never summon. He could have coasted on a Seoul National University education into a comfortable career; instead he chose religious freedom, political freedom, and pacifism. I find that kind of principled risk genuinely moving. Activists like him rarely make the headlines years later, but they shift what a society believes is sayable. Quiet courage, loud consequences.
Overview
Kang We-suck (Korean: 강의석, born 25 August 1986) is a South Korean and activist for civil and human rights activist who promotes pacifism. Kang's activism in civil rights (religious and political freedoms) began in 2003 when he was a student. Kang went on a hunger strike from 11 August to 25 September and from 16 October to 25 October 2004.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kang We-suck
- Name (Japanese)
- カン・イソク
- Reading
- かん・いそく
- Born
- August 25, 1986 (age 39)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Tiger
- Origin
- Seoul, South Korea
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- human rights defender / politician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Daegwang High School
- University
- Seoul National University
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Patriot Byun Hee Jae | — |
6. Links
Human rights defender — see all → · Politician — see all → · More people from South Korea →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.