A Democrat in the New York State Assembly has introduced a bill to make it mandatory for public schools in the state to teach students about South Korea's female independence fighter Yu Gwan-sun and the significance of the Asian nation's March First Movement.

At a press conference on Friday, Assemblyman Ron Kim said he recently motioned the act, known as "Yu Gwan-sun's Law," requiring such instruction for ninth to twelfth graders in New York's public school system.

Stressing that students should learn about Yu's achievements and legacy, Kim called on the Korean-American community in the state to join efforts to ensure the legislation is passed.

Democratic State Senator John Liu, who attended the press event, said he plans to motion a similar bill in the Senate.

Kim and Liu previously co-authored a bill on designating March 1 as "Yu Gwan-sun Day" that passed both the New York Senate and Assembly last year.

The March First Movement of 1919 is when Koreans staged a massive independence protest against Japanese colonial rule that began in Seoul and spread to other parts of the country.

Yu, who was then 16 years old, took part in the Seoul protest along with her classmates. They continued the fight by organizing another massive protest in Yu's hometown of Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.