OSS Special Agent 'A' from Joseon was Yoo Il-han, the founder of Yuhan

It has been revealed that Dr. Yoo Il-han, the founder of Yuhan and an independence activist, served as a key agent for the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), the secret intelligence agency of the United States, during World War II. According to a video from the tvN variety program 'Seol Min-seok's Naked World History', Dr. Yoo Il-han operated under the codename 'Agent A', a central figure in the 'NAPKO Project' and the first Joseon special agent in the history of the U.S. intelligence agency.

U.S. OSS Secret Operation 'NAPKO Project' and Agent Yoo Il-han

According to the explanation in the video, the 'NAPKO Project' was an operation established by the U.S. OSS to infiltrate secret agents into Joseon, which served as a logistics base for Japan, to grasp the movements of the Japanese military and shake up the rear before attacking the Japanese mainland. The OSS planned to infiltrate Joseon agents into the Korean Peninsula to collect information on the Japanese military and economic situation, and to perform wireless network installation and sabotage operations.

The 19 agents participating in this operation underwent a very rigorous selection process. The candidates mainly consisted of Joseon people who had been mobilized by the Japanese military and became prisoners of war for the U.S. military, as well as Joseon people in the United States who had graduated from American universities. The final selected agents were assigned codenames from A to S, and 'Agent A', who played a central role, was none other than Dr. Yoo Il-han, the founder of Yuhan.

The selected members underwent intense training while being isolated for 3 to 4 months at a training center on Santa Catalina Island near San Francisco. The training included boxing, as well as propaganda, intelligence gathering, and deception techniques to escape if captured by the enemy. The team Dr. Yoo Il-han participated in was tasked with infiltrating Seoul to collect information on Japanese military strength and logistics facilities. However, as Japan declared its surrender just a few days before the operation was to be executed, the members received orders to terminate the operation without being able to set foot on their homeland.

The Journey from a Bean Sprout Businessman to the Founding of Yuhan

Dr. Yoo Il-han's path was connected to the independence movement since his childhood. Having moved to the United States at the age of 9 in 1904, he entered the Korean Boys' Military School in 1909 and received military training in the style of the U.S. Military Academy. Later, while focusing on his studies majoring in economics at the University of Michigan, he heard the news of the March First Movement in 1919 and participated as a delegate in the First Korean Liberty Congress held in Philadelphia, where he announced the will for independence to the world by taking charge of writing and reading the resolution.

His business activities in the United States were also a process to raise funds for the independence movement. Noting that bean sprouts were widely used in Chinese restaurants in the United States, he developed canned bean sprouts that were easy to store, establishing himself as a successful businessman in his early 30s. Later, visiting Joseon in 1925 and witnessing the poor health conditions under Japanese rule, he liquidated all his assets and returned to his country, founding Yuhan in 1926.

After founding Yuhan, he developed medicines under the belief that 'a healthy nation is needed to reclaim the country.' A representative product is the anti-inflammatory analgesic 'Antiphlamine'. The video introduces an anecdote that the product was manufactured in a can format so that it could be easily used even in rural areas at that time.

Support for Independence Movement Funds and Philosophy of Social Contribution

Dr. Yoo Il-han steadily supported the independence movement funds through his business profits. In 1943, he worked to persuade American society of the will for independence of colonial Joseon by publishing a book. The OSS NAPKO Project, which he participated in at the age of 50, is considered one of the most dramatic activities he performed, risking his life for his homeland.

After liberation, following the philosophy that corporate profits should be returned to society, Dr. Yoo Il-han devoted himself to education and scholarship projects to nurture talent. The video summarizes him as a person who performed everything from promoting independence in the United States and raising funds through business to participating in OSS operations and preparing for the future through education and corporations after liberation.