Meritorious Service Record

Eli Miller Mowry arrived in Korea in October 1909 with his wife. He taught at Soongsil College in Pyongyang and also served as principal of Soongdeok School.
On March 1, 1919, he participated in the Presbyterian-led independence declaration ceremony held in the Soongdeok School courtyard and informed his acquaintances in the United States about the March 1st Movement through letters.
On April 4, 1919, Japanese police raided his home and arrested him along with fellow missionary Samuel A. Moffett. While Moffett was released the next day, Mowry was charged with harboring independence activists, including Gil Jin-gyeong (吉鎭京), Lee In-seon (李仁善), Lee Bo-sik (李輔植), and Kim Tae-sul (金泰述) - students from Soongsil Middle School and Soongsil College.
On April 19, 1919, the Pyongyang District Court sentenced Mowry to six months in prison. He was released on bail the same day but appealed the ruling, arguing that he had merely hosted students as guests and had no intention of concealing fugitives.
On May 17, 1919, the Pyongyang Appellate Court reduced his sentence to four months with a two-year suspended sentence. Mowry further appealed, and on August 18, 1919, the High Court overturned the previous ruling and transferred the case to the Gyeongseong Appellate Court. On October 29, 1919, the Gyeongseong Appellate Court sentenced him to a 100-won fine. He filed another appeal, but on December 4, 1919, the High Court dismissed it, finalizing his sentence.
In January 1936, after George S. McCune (윤산온) was dismissed as principal of Soongsil College for refusing to participate in Shinto shrine worship, Mowry succeeded him as principal in March 1936. However, on July 1, 1936, the Northern Presbyterian Church Mission in Korea adopted a "Recommendation for Educational Withdrawal," and in March 1938, Soongsil College was closed in protest against Japan’s policies.
Even after the school’s closure, Mowry remained in Pyongyang, continuing missionary work. In November 1940, he complied with the U.S. Consulate’s recommendation to leave Korea and returned to the United States.
Eli Miller Mowry passed away in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970.
In 1950, the South Korean government posthumously awarded Eli Miller Mowry the Order of Merit for National Foundation (Independence Medal) in recognition of his contributions to Korea’s independence.