A Korean independence activist from the early 20th century has been admitted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in the United States.

Ahn Chang-ho, known for his work in Korean independence, was the first Asian to be honored at the walk of fame. According to the Trumpet Awards Foundation, Ahn was inducted into the walk of fame at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia. Roughly one-thousand guests were present for the event, including Ahn’s grandson Philip Cuddy and the South Korean consul in Atlanta, Kim Hee-bum.

Xernona Clayton, founder and president of the foundation, said Ahn was a “Korean version of Martin Luther King Junior” and that he had lit the lamp of hope for Koreans in despair.

The walk of fame was created in 2004 to honor icons for human rights. Those in the walk of fame include former U.S. presidents Lyndon Johnson, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Former UN ambassador Andrew Young, CNN founder Ted Turner, pop sensation Stevie Wonder and South Africa's Archbishop Desmond TuTu have all been honored in the walk of fame as well.