The March First Movement, or the Samil Movement, was one of the earliest displays of Korean nationalism during the Japanese rule. The name refers to an event that occurred on March 1, 1919, hence the movement's name (literally "Three-One Movement"). The event followed the Tonghak Peasant Revolution and the Righteous army movement, and led to the Shanghai declaration of independence by Korean exiles. Hangul also refers to a word processing application widely used in Korea. ... It has been suggested that Sino-Korean be merged into this article or section. ... The Revised Romanization of Korean (Korean: 국어의 로마자 표기법; 國語의 로마字 表記法) is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. ... McCune-Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced (a modified) McCune-Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Korea under Japanese rule refers to the period of Japans physical occupation of the Korean peninsula in the early 20th century. ... March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Tonghak Peasant Revolution in Korea reached its peak in 1894, when the peasant armies became strong enough that the government of Korea requested military assistance from Japan and China. ... In Korea, during the long period of Japanese invasion and occupation from 1890 to 1945, the disbanded imperial guard, and Confucian scholars, as well as farmers, formed successive armies to fight for Korean freedom on the Korean peninsula. ... Situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in Eastern China, Shanghai (Chinese: 上海; pinyin: ; Shanghainese: ) is Chinas largest city by population. ...

The inspiration for these actions came from the "Fourteen Points" and the right of national "self-determination of weak nations" proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference in January of 1918. After hearing news of the Wilson’s talk and realising its consequences, Korean students studying in Tokyo published a statement that demanded Korean independence. When this news reached the underground movement in Korea composed of 33 Cheondogyo, Buddhist and Christian leaders including Son Byong-Hi that had been secretly forming throughout that year, it was decided that the time to act was nearing. Secret plans were drawn up and information disseminated by word of mouth throughout the towns and villages of Korea. United States President Woodrow Wilson delivered a speech to Congress on January 8, 1918, outlining Fourteen Points for reconstructing a new Europe following World War I. While many of the points were specific, others were more general, including freedom of the seas, abolishing secret treaties, disarmament, restored sovereignty of some... Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924) was the 28th President of the United States (1913–1921). ... The Paris Peace Conference, 1919, negotiated the treaties ending World War I. The Paris Peace Conference, 1946, negotiated the Paris Peace Treaties, 1947, with Germanys [[World War II allies and co-belligerents in Europe. ... Tokyo ) , literally eastern capital, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and includes the highly urbanized central area formerly known as the city of Tokyo which is the heart of the Greater Tokyo Area. ... Cheondogyo is a 20th century Korean nationalist religious movement, based on the 19th century Donghak movement founded by Choe Che-U. Being rooted in Korean Buddhist, Confucian and Daoist beliefs and rituals with some Christian influence, this Korean religion is becoming more and more popular in North and South Korea... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. ... Son Byong-hi (April 8, 1861 - May 19, 1922) was a Korean nationalist. ...

It was decided that the movement should be staged two days before the funeral of Emperor Gojong. From a Korean point of view this funeral brought to an end not only the Joseon Dynasty but also one of the last symbols of the Korean nation. With the death of their Emperor, Koreans realised that any possibility of an independently ruled nation was lost, and that Korea lay solely in the hands of the colonial Japanese. This situation provided the necessary momentum for the Korean independence movements to mobilise themselves. Emperor Gwangmu of Korea Gojong (고종 高宗 go jong), the Emperor Gwang-mu (광무제 光武帝 gwang mu je) (born 8 September 1852 - 21 January 1919) was the 26th king and 1st emperor of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. ... The Joseon Dynasty was the final ruling dynasty of Korea, then called Joseon, lasting from 1392 until 1910. ...

At 2pm on the 1st of March, the 33 patriots who formed the core of the Samil movement convened at Taehwagwan restaurant, and read the Declaration of Independence that had been drawn up by Korean nationalist historian and writer Choe Namson. The patriots initially planned to assemble at Pagoda Park in downtown Seoul, but they chose another place out of fear that the gathering might turn into a popular rally. The leaders of the movement signed the document and sent a copy to the Japanese Governor General, with their compliments. They then telephoned the central police station to inform them of their actions and were arrested afterwards. A declaration of independence is a proclamation of the independence of an aspiring state or states. ... Seoul (Sŏul|서울) ) is the capital and largest city of South Korea (Republic of Korea). ... During the period between 1910 and 1948 there were various Governors of Korea. ...

In spite of the patriots' concerns, massive crowds assembled in the Pagoda Park to hear the declaration, and Chung Jae-yong, a student, read the declaration in the patriots' stead. After the reading, the gathering formed into a procession, when the Japanese police fell upon the procession and crushed it. It is said that the crowd was fired upon by the officers. According to reports issued by the Yon-Hap news agency, "…more than 7,500 demonstrators were killed and about 16,000 wounded. Some 47,000 others were arrested by the Japanese police". According to another report the crowd cheered the arrested men.

Coinciding with these events, special delegates associated with the movement also read copies of the proclamation from appointed places throughout the country at 2pm on that same day, but the nationwide uprisings that resulted were also brutally put down by the Japanese police and army.

However, these protests were not ignored by the Japanese. Because Japanese national and military police could not contain the crowds, the army and even the navy was called in. In one instance, Japanese police forces locked protesters in a church and burned it to the ground. Jeam-ri was the village in which the church was burned. 30 male patriots were herded into the church which was then locked and burned to the ground.

By the end of the months of protests, Japanese officials declared that 553 people were killed with over 12,000 arrested. However, Korean nationalist sources counted 7,500 killed and 45,000 arrested.

Before the Japanese finally suppressed the movement 12 months later, approximately 2,000,000 Koreans had participated in the more than 1,500 demonstrations. About 7,000 people were killed by the Japanese police and soldiers. [1]

As international response to the incident was virtually non-existent, one of the most important lessons resulting from the Samil Movement for the nationalists was that they essentially needed to rely solely on their own efforts. They could not expect assistance from other, foreign nations to fight a battle that was not their own.

Another consequence of the March 1st movement was that it marked a change in Japanese imperial policy. Realizing that their repressive rule was out of date (and wanting to be 'modern' in the eyes of the world), the Japanese inaugurated their 'cultural policy'. This 'cultural policy' involved tutoring Koreans for eventual independence. Some examples of this movement included the relaxing of restrictions that the Japanese authorities had placed on freedom of speech and assembly, and this allowed the publication of Korean newspapers and novels.

References

Cumings, Bruce, Korea’s Place in the Sun: A Modern History. New York: W.N. Norton and Company, 1997.

See also

• Korean independence movement
• History of Korea
• List of Korea-related topics

The nature of the search for Korean independence under the repressive Japanese occupation period (1890-1945) has a particularly complicated and diverse history. ... Joseon dynasty court architecture This article is about the history of Korea. ... This is a list of Wikipedia articles on Korea-related people, places, things, and concepts. ...

External links

• Full text of Samil Proclamation of Korean Independence
• Further explanation including Japanese actions and photographs