March 1st Independence Movement Day in South Korea, “Sam Il Jeol”

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE March 1st Independence Movement Day in South Korea, "Sam Il Jeol" 탑골공원 상해임시정부 삼일절 만세 US President Woodrow Wilson The Fourteen Points Tapgol Park South Korea Shanghai self-determination Sam Il Jeol Red Cross Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea March 1st movement March 1st Independence Movement Day in South Korea Manse Demonstrations Korean Empire Gojong Declaration of Independence COVID-19 33 korean religious leaders 33 ethnic representatives 1919 Paris Peace Conference
Red Cross pamphlet on March 1st Movement / Wikimedia Commons

Hi, today is March 1st. Today is the anniversary of “March 1st Movement” in my country. It is also called “Independence Movement Day in South Korea,” and “삼일절(Sam Il Jeol)”

The March 1 Movement started on March 1, 1919. Why this day? In the wake of rumors that King Gojong of the Korean Empire was poisoned, it rose up on March 1, 1919, the funeral day of King Gojong’s death.

There was another reason. After the World War I, “The Fourteen Points” of US President Woodrow Wilson became the basis at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. The President Wilson listed “self-determination” as an important objective for the postwar world. It set off a spark of hope.

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE March 1st Independence Movement Day in South Korea, "Sam Il Jeol" 탑골공원 상해임시정부 삼일절 만세 US President Woodrow Wilson The Fourteen Points Tapgol Park South Korea Shanghai self-determination Sam Il Jeol Red Cross Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea March 1st movement March 1st Independence Movement Day in South Korea Manse Demonstrations Korean Empire Gojong Declaration of Independence COVID-19 33 korean religious leaders 33 ethnic representatives 1919 Paris Peace Conference
Red Cross pamphlet on March 1st Movement / Wikimedia Commons

The most famous performance at this time is the “Manse Demonstrations.” In Korean, 만세(Manse) means raising both hands high. Generally, do it three times with the Korean flag.

On this day, 500,000 people gathered at 탑골공원(Tapgol Park, formerly Pagoda Park) and shouted “Manse.” From this point on, March 1st Movements were held across the country for about three months. There were 1,214 manse demonstrations during the 60 days from March 1 to April 30. The total number of participants is estimated at 1.06 million.

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE March 1st Independence Movement Day in South Korea, "Sam Il Jeol" 탑골공원 상해임시정부 삼일절 만세 US President Woodrow Wilson The Fourteen Points Tapgol Park South Korea Shanghai self-determination Sam Il Jeol Red Cross Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea March 1st movement March 1st Independence Movement Day in South Korea Manse Demonstrations Korean Empire Gojong Declaration of Independence COVID-19 33 korean religious leaders 33 ethnic representatives 1919 Paris Peace Conference
Red Cross pamphlet on March 1st Movement / Wikimedia Commons

Japan did not sit still, but violently suppressed it. Of them, 7,509 were killed and 47,000 were arrested. However, because it was a fairly successful independence movement, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was established in Shanghai in April 11, 1919.

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE March 1st Independence Movement Day in South Korea, "Sam Il Jeol" 탑골공원 상해임시정부 삼일절 만세 US President Woodrow Wilson The Fourteen Points Tapgol Park South Korea Shanghai self-determination Sam Il Jeol Red Cross Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea March 1st movement March 1st Independence Movement Day in South Korea Manse Demonstrations Korean Empire Gojong Declaration of Independence COVID-19 33 korean religious leaders 33 ethnic representatives 1919 Paris Peace Conference
Red Cross pamphlet on March 1st Movement

But I don’t think it happened easily. There were 33 ethnic representatives who took the initiative. They consisted of 15 Catholics, 16 Christians and two Buddhists. (if you more info about them: my blog, wiki(ko), other)
They read “The Declaration of Independence” at Taehwagwan, Insa-dong, Jongno District, Seoul. Soon after, some of them died, and they were imprisoned for about a year and a half or three years.

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE March 1st Independence Movement Day in South Korea, "Sam Il Jeol" 탑골공원 상해임시정부 삼일절 만세 US President Woodrow Wilson The Fourteen Points Tapgol Park South Korea Shanghai self-determination Sam Il Jeol Red Cross Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea March 1st movement March 1st Independence Movement Day in South Korea Manse Demonstrations Korean Empire Gojong Declaration of Independence COVID-19 33 korean religious leaders 33 ethnic representatives 1919 Paris Peace Conference
Red Cross pamphlet on March 1st Movement / Wikimedia Commons

To celebrate this day, the national flag is hung at home. Flags are also hung on every street. But now South Korea is in an emergency because of COVID-19. There are over 3,000 confirmed cases. I hope the patients will recover quickly, and I want to send a message of support to the medical staff who are really struggling.

Since we are all the same people, I hope we don’t blame each other or split up over this incident. Because we were one in the independence movement.

P.S. a year ago, I wrote the its 100th Anniversary post. 🙂

Peace is up to you :0 Good luck!

March 1st Movement Day in Korea, Sam Il Jeol #1

“Hurray for the independence of Korea! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!”

March 1st Movement Day in Korea

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE March 1st Movement Day in Korea, Sam Il Jeol #1 Yu Gwan-sun Trump-Kim summit Sam Il Jeol Moon Jae-in March 1st Movement Day in Korea Man Hee Lee biography Korean war Korean Declaration of Independence Kim Jong-Un
100th Anniversary of the March 1st Movement in Gwangju, Korea

Every year on 1st of March, the Flag of South Korea (Hangul: 태극기) is placed everywhere in Korea. The March 1st Movement Day, also known as Sam Il Jeol (Hangul: 삼일절), can be seen as a symbol of the Korean Independence Movement. Korea was a colony of Japan from 1910 into 1945. The pain and sorrow of being a colony are beyond description.

At 2 p.m. on 1st of March, 1919, 33 ethnic representatives read out loud the Korean Declaration of Independence. The declaration, which begins with the following words, is truly touching. “We herewith proclaim the independence of Korea and the liberty of the Korean people.” What kind of feelings did people have at that time?

“The March 1st Independence Movement was the declaration and the act by which the Korean people spoke out about the value of independence, peace, democracy and human rights.”

President Moon Jae-in
For more information

Massive crowds assembled in Pagoda Park to hear the declaration that a student, Jae-yong Chung, read publicly. He shouted “No power in this world can obstruct or suppress it!” Approximately 2,000,000 Koreans had participated in the more than 1,500 demonstrations. Were there no suppressors? No. 7,509 people killed, 15,849 wounded, and 46,303 arrested by the Japanese police force and army. As punishment, some of the arrested demonstrators were executed in public.

It is my posting : ‘Sam-Il-Jeol’ Independence Movement Day & 33 Korean Religious Leaders

100th Anniversary of the March 1st Movement

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE March 1st Movement Day in Korea, Sam Il Jeol #1 Yu Gwan-sun Trump-Kim summit Sam Il Jeol Moon Jae-in March 1st Movement Day in Korea Man Hee Lee biography Korean war Korean Declaration of Independence Kim Jong-Un
100th Anniversary of the March 1st Movement in Gwangju, Korea

On Friday, all people of the Koreas commemorate the 100th anniversary of the March 1st Movement. President Moon Jae-in visited the graves of several key figures in the fight for Korean independence, and the government decided this week to honor freedom fighter Yu Gwan-sun with the country’s highest medal of honor, the Republic of Korea Medal.

Yu was only 16 when she attended the main March 1 gathering in Seoul, and she was arrested and died in prison at the age of 17. If you want to know more info here

The theme of the anniversary ceremony is “Let’s Open Another 100 Years Together,” a clear reference to South Korean Moon’s work to engage with the North. What does it mean? President Moon said “We are no longer in the periphery of history. I hope we will open a new era with pride and confidence that the strength to decide and open the next 100 years rests in us.”

Trump and Kim Jong Un & Moon Jae-in

A STEP TOWARDS PEACE March 1st Movement Day in Korea, Sam Il Jeol #1 Yu Gwan-sun Trump-Kim summit Sam Il Jeol Moon Jae-in March 1st Movement Day in Korea Man Hee Lee biography Korean war Korean Declaration of Independence Kim Jong-Un
100th Anniversary of the March 1st Movement in Gwangju, Korea

How did the Trump-Kim summit go in Hanoi, Vietnam? On February 28, Trump and Kim left Hanoi abruptly without signing any sort of agreement. People are in shock. What happened? Many expected that one of the most likely things to come out of Hanoi would be an agreement to end the Korean War, which has been on pause for more than 60 years. It led many experts and lawmakers to heave sighs of relief, even as the summit’s abrupt finale raises questions about What’s Next?

But Moon Jae-in didn’t stop to hope. Because he love peace. He want to end the Korean War. Countless people do not want war, they want PEACE. If he truly love the people, he will strive for peace. He said “On April 27, both Chairman Kim Jong Un and I discussed joint projects to mark the 100th anniversary of the March First Independence Movement and to mark the founding of the provisional government, and our initiative was contained in the Panmunjeom Declaration.”

“If the South and North can share together the history of Korean independence, both will become much closer in their hearts,” he added.

Reference: http://korea.net/NewsFocus/policies/view?articleId=161004
https://thediplomat.com/2019/03/korea-commemorates-100th-anniversary-of-march-1st-independence-protests/

What will happen in the future? I want to remember lives and spirits of each of those who sacrificed and devoted their lives to the independence of our country.

The next posting will cover the stories of people who work for them and work for peace.

Peace is up to you :0 Good luck!