Yun Bong-gil was born in Yesan County in the twilight years of the Korean Empire in June 1908.
He attended Deoksan Elementary School and also studied in Ochi Seosuk (a village school that taught Korean and Chinese).
As Korea had been made a protectorate within the Japanese empire in 1905, Yun grew up in a troubled country.
Local resistance grew considerably with the annexation of Korea in 1910.
It culminated in the March 1st Movement in 1919 that was aggressively crushed by the Japanese authorities (hundreds of protesters were massacred by the Japanese police force and army).
The brutal repression that followed made many activists flee into China.
In 1921, Yun began studying Mathematics.

By 1926 Yun had become an independence activist, starting evening classes in his home town to help educate people from rural communities about the issues.
At the age of 20, he had organized a reading club and published several pamphlets.

In 1928, he had become involved in several rural social movements, which were known as "farmers' enlightenment and reading societies".
Yun wrote a textbook called Farmers Readers.
It was used at evening classes to teach literacy to poor young adults who could not attend school in rural areas.
He also founded a group called "Re-invigoration" to promote the revival of farming villages.
After successfully organizing a well-attended rural cultural festival in which he performed a sketch entitled "The Rabbit and the Fox", he came to the to attention of the Tokubetsu Kōtō Keisatsu, the Japanese Secret police in Korea tasked with investigating people and political groups that might threaten the Empire of Japan.

Despite the survelliance, Yun continued his activities and was appointed chairman of a Farmers' Association.
Promoted through the Suam Sports Council to improve the health of farmers, he also created rural sports clubs because he believed that rural development and the spirit of national independence could be achieved through having a healthy mind and body.
 By 1930, after establishing two more rural athletic associations for the nationalist movement, Yun decided to go to China because of the harsher Japanese crackdowns on the independence movement.
Yun Bong-gil was born in Yesan County in the twilight years of the Korean Empire in June 1908. He attended Deoksan Elementary School and also studied in Ochi Seosuk (a village school that taught Korean and Chinese). As Korea had been made a protectorate within the Japanese empire in 1905, Yun grew up in a troubled country. Local resistance grew considerably with the annexation of Korea in 1910. It culminated in the March 1st Movement in 1919 that was aggressively crushed by the Japanese authorities (hundreds of protesters were massacred by the Japanese police force and army). The brutal repression that followed made many activists flee into China. In 1921, Yun began studying Mathematics. 
By 1926 Yun had become an independence activist, starting evening classes in his home town to help educate people from rural communities about the issues. At the age of 20, he had organized a reading club and published several pamphlets. 
In 1928, he had become involved in several rural social movements, which were known as "farmers' enlightenment and reading societies". Yun wrote a textbook called Farmers Readers. It was used at evening classes to teach literacy to poor young adults who could not attend school in rural areas. He also founded a group called "Re-invigoration" to promote the revival of farming villages. After successfully organizing a well-attended rural cultural festival in which he performed a sketch entitled "The Rabbit and the Fox", he came to the to attention of the Tokubetsu Kōtō Keisatsu, the Japanese Secret police in Korea tasked with investigating people and political groups that might threaten the Empire of Japan. 
Despite the survelliance, Yun continued his activities and was appointed chairman of a Farmers' Association. Promoted through the Suam Sports Council to improve the health of farmers, he also created rural sports clubs because he believed that rural development and the spirit of national independence could be achieved through having a healthy mind and body.  By 1930, after establishing two more rural athletic associations for the nationalist movement, Yun decided to go to China because of the harsher Japanese crackdowns on the independence movement.
Yun Bong-gil