Together , Fumiko and Pak published two magazines which highlighted the problems Koreans faced under Japanese imperialism ( though they were never directly a part of the Korean independence movement ) and showed influences of their radical beliefs . The articles Fumiko wrote for these publications were probably her most obvious activist activity . Sometime between 1922 and 1923 , they also established a group called “ Futei-sha ( Society of Malcontents ) , ” which Fumiko identified as a group for direct action against the government . These activities soon brought Pak and Fumiko under government scrutiny . In September 1923 , the hugely destructive Great Kantō earthquake led to massive public anxiety , with many people concerned that the Koreans , who were already agitating for independence from Japan , would use the confusion to start a rebellion . The government therefore made a number of arrests , mostly Koreans , on limited evidence , and among those arrested were Pak and Fumiko . After lengthy judicial proceedings , Fumiko and Pak were convicted of high treason for attempting to obtain bombs with the intention of killing the emperor or his son . They confessed to this crime , and it appears that at least Fumiko made herself appear guiltier than she actually was , possibly with the intention of sacrificing herself for her cause . During the trial , Fumiko wrote the story of her life as a way of explaining “ what made me do what I did , ” and this memoir is the main source of information about her life , along with court documents . Pak and Fumiko , who had been romantically involved for most of their time together , were legally married a few days prior to their sentencing , which historian Hélène Bowen Raddeker identifies as a move to “ underscore the obvious irony in the fact that the Japanese state had united them legally in life before uniting them legally in death . ” Pak and Fumiko were initially given the death sentence , but an imperial pardon commuted that sentence to life imprisonment . Instead of accepting this pardon , Fumiko tore it up and refused to thank the emperor . While Pak survived his time in prison and was released years later , Fumiko was claimed to have committed suicide in her cell in 1926 , although there were suspicious circumstances around her death
Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kantō earthquake
Fumiko Kaneko