(or korean independence movement day)
today was a national holiday. all that really means for us waegooks is that we get a day off work, but i was curious to know why we got to party until the wee hours of the morn... so i looked into it.
on march 1, 1919, the korean independence movement began. 'samil' which translates literally to three one (month/day) was inspired by then US president Woodrow Wilson's 14 point proclamation and the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. he declared and end to colonial rule in countries that were ruled by the victors of WW1. many koreans, under japanese rule, thought they too would be released from their oppressors.
with Wilson's proclamation in mind, korea sent a delegation to the conference in February 1919, but they were refused the right to vote. there was a secret pact between the US, Japan, and France to exclude Korea and Indochina from the treaty. this, obviously, did not sit well with the koreans who thought they would be gaining their independence. so, on march 1, students and christians from around the country led the samil anti-japanese march.
women protesting the japanese colonial rule of korea.
a declaration of independence was read throughout the country:
the christian leaders were crucified.
the protests were brought to a brutal end by the japanese who fired into the nonviolent crowds. some of the christian organizers were crucified, school children were beheaded, and churches were burned down. korean history counts over 7,500 people killed, 15,000 injured, and upwards of 45,000 arrested. (the japanese numbers are much lower.)
many koreans were brutally murdered by the japanese.
as a side note - some say that the samil was (partly) triggered by the death of King Kojong, who was beleived to have been poisoned by the japanese for trying to send a secret message to the paris conference. march 1, was the day of mourning for his death.
*information and pictures courtesy of Lee Wha Rang. click the link for more on samil.
today was a national holiday. all that really means for us waegooks is that we get a day off work, but i was curious to know why we got to party until the wee hours of the morn... so i looked into it.
on march 1, 1919, the korean independence movement began. 'samil' which translates literally to three one (month/day) was inspired by then US president Woodrow Wilson's 14 point proclamation and the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. he declared and end to colonial rule in countries that were ruled by the victors of WW1. many koreans, under japanese rule, thought they too would be released from their oppressors.
with Wilson's proclamation in mind, korea sent a delegation to the conference in February 1919, but they were refused the right to vote. there was a secret pact between the US, Japan, and France to exclude Korea and Indochina from the treaty. this, obviously, did not sit well with the koreans who thought they would be gaining their independence. so, on march 1, students and christians from around the country led the samil anti-japanese march.
women protesting the japanese colonial rule of korea.a declaration of independence was read throughout the country:
“Today marks the declaration of Korean independence. There will be peaceful demonstrations all over Korea. If our meetings are orderly and peaceful, we shall receive the help of President Wilson and the great powers at Versailles, and Korea will be a free nation.”nearly two million people joined the march in thousands of villages across Korea. a peaceful protest took place, with christians singing hymns, and students chanting 'independence'.
the christian leaders were crucified.the protests were brought to a brutal end by the japanese who fired into the nonviolent crowds. some of the christian organizers were crucified, school children were beheaded, and churches were burned down. korean history counts over 7,500 people killed, 15,000 injured, and upwards of 45,000 arrested. (the japanese numbers are much lower.)
many koreans were brutally murdered by the japanese. as a side note - some say that the samil was (partly) triggered by the death of King Kojong, who was beleived to have been poisoned by the japanese for trying to send a secret message to the paris conference. march 1, was the day of mourning for his death.
*information and pictures courtesy of Lee Wha Rang. click the link for more on samil.
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