Hahn, Si-dae: He was a key leader at the United Korean Committee in America and the Hung Sa Dahn.

Born in 1888, he immigrated to Hawaii at age fifteen in 1903 and finished junior high there before his family came to the mainland to San Francisco in 1913. He completed senior high in California. He then moved to Manteca in 1915 and leased 1300 acres of land for a vineyard in the Delano area for the next thirty years. He was one of the most successful Korean business tycoons in America. He joined Hung Sa Dahn in 1917 with badge number 179. In 1919, he played a key role in collecting and sending the  independence funds to the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai. In 1936, he was active in restoring the Korean National Association in North America as well as restoring the Korean community and activities to fight against Japan. He was appointed in the construction of Korean National Association building in Los Angeles until the structure was completed in April, 1938. He was hugely active in supporting through financial means to the Provisional Government in Shanghai for the next full years. In 1940, he was elected to the executive director of the Korean National Association in North America until he was elected to the vice-president of Korean National Association conference held in Hawaii on April 20, 1941.

In December of the same year, he set up a program that distinguishes Koreans from the Japanese to protect the identity of Koreans. When Dong Ji Hoe of Syngman Rhee broke away from the United Korean Committee in America in September of 1943 to open their own separate Diplomacy Committee in June of 1944, the United Korean Committee in America opened up its own Diplomacy Committee to do the diplomatic affairs. When the Provisional Government in Shanghai ordered to re-set up the Diplomacy Committee in August of 1944, thirteen Korean rganizations absent from Dong Ji Hoe held a conference in Los Angeles in October. He was elected as the president from this conference and was also elected as vice-president of the new  Diplomacy Committee to lead the independence movement in diplomacy. He dedicated his life to the board director of Hung Sa Dahn and independence and reconstruction of Korea for the rest of his life. He married Park, Young-sook in Hawaii and had five sons and two daughters. He passed away in May of 1981 at the age of 93. He was buried in   Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. In 1995, the South Korean government posthumously recognized him with the Order of Merit of National Foundation / Independence Award for his unwavering contribution and dedication toward the Korean independence movement

▲ Family photo of Hahn, Si-dae: Mother Moon(Hahn) Sung-sun and wife Park, Youngsook with five sons and two daughters including grand-children. (1948)

▲ Hahn, Si-dae and his wife.

▲ Hahn, Si-dae’s farmstead in Delano in Central California.