Each year March 1st is celebrated as a South Korean National Holiday—this year, the 100th anniversary, of greater significance– a Day in Korean History.
Some context regarding its significance.
We herewith proclaim the independence of Korea and the liberty of the Korean people.
This we proclaim to all the nations of the world in witness of human equality. This we proclaim to our descendants so that they may enjoy in perpetuity their inherent right to nationhood.
In as much as this proclamation originates from our five-thousand-year history, in as much as it springs from the loyalty of twenty million people, in as much as it affirms our yearning for the advancement of everlasting liberty, in as much as it expresses our desire to take part in the global reform rooted in human conscience, it is the solemn will of heaven, the great tide of our age, and a just act necessary for the co-existence of all humankind.
Therefore, no power in this world can obstruct or suppress it!
The above was the manifesto read by Korean independence activists on March 1, 1919.
It was one of the earliest public displays of Korean resistance to repressive Japanese Colonial Rule. Sadly, it would not be until the end of the Second World War, the defeat of Japan and the end of decades of suppression that Korea would regain its independence.
Questions? mailto: dsoutherton@bridgingculture.com
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