March 1 marks a significant day for Koreans around the world. One hundred years ago a massive nation-wide demonstrations broke out in which Koreans demanded independence from Japanese rule. It was the largest anti-Japanese movement in the history of Korea and one that is celebrated to this day.

Historical Background

The independence movement–known in Korean as the sam-il undong or manse undong–had its roots in 1910. That was the year Japan annexed Korea. The Korean people’s suffering under the colonial regime pushed some independence activists to take action in 1919. The end of World War I and the suspicious death of the Korean Emperor Gojong only added more fuel to the cause.

As a result, Korean independence activists decided to attend the Paris Peace Conference in France and make their plea for independence to the international community. President Woodrow Wilson’s declarations of national self-determination through his Fourteen Points statement–aimed at promoting world peace– further gave Koreans hope that their voice would be heard. However, this was not the case. The Korean delegation was not welcomed in Paris and their calls for support went largely unnoticed. At the time, the United States had already recognized Japan’s annexation of the Peninsula. Korean activists in the US wanted to help but were unable to secure visas (they would have had to go through Japanese channels) to reach Paris.

Still, the Koreans did not give up. US-based Korean activists sent copies of the Korean Declaration of Independence to US government officials and Syngman Rhee–the future president of South Korea and then President of the Provisional Government of Korea–also sent a letter to Wilson clearly informing him of Korea’s independence from Japan and urging the world to recognize the new Republic of Korea (ROK). However, the Korean cause was, once again, ignored.

삼일 운동 Sam-il Undong

About a month and a half later, nationwide protests broke out in Korea. The movement began in Seoul’s Pagoda Park and quickly spread to other cities in the weeks that followed. The protests had been planned meticulously– a year in advance. It is suspected that Emperor Gojong’s sudden death added a sense of urgency to the domestic situation and prompted the organizers to carry out the protests soon after. The entire movement lasted for well over a month and it is estimated that around 2 million Koreans participated in more than 1,500 demonstrations. Despite the gatherings being peaceful and non-violent, Japanese policemen moved quickly to suppress the movement using any means necessary. In the end, this resulted in around 7,000 deaths and over 46,000 imprisoned, many of whom ended up in Seoul’s infamous Seodaemun Prison.

The spread of patriotism

Even though the massive rallies did not lead to independence, they succeeded in stirring up Korean patriotic feelings around the world. It was around this time that Korean immigrant communities, especially in the US, stepped up their efforts to advance the cause for Korean independence. In April, 1919, Seo Jae-pil, the first Korean to receive American citizenship, convened a meeting of Korean expatriates, immigrants, and Korean sympathizers in Philadelphia to energize the Korean diaspora community in America and to mobilize American support for the Korean independence movement. The meeting was attended by over 200 delegates and eventually came to be known as the 1919 Philadelphia Korean Congress.

The Philadelphia Korean Congress, April 1919

Korean churches in America played an especially crucial role in aiding the formation and coordination efforts of the new Korean Provisional Government based in Shanghai. Of the thirty-three signatories of the Korean Declaration of Independence, sixteen were Christians and a number of them pastors. Christian missionaries were also actively involved in the independence movement in Korea. In order to further public relations with an American audience, Seo Jae-pil and Syngman Rhee formed the League of the Friends of Korea in various parts of the country. These Korean American Christians were successful at spreading their message to an American audience by using familiar arguments rooted in Christianity and democratic values. Activists would gather in churches and plan ways to further their cause. An interesting fact: The current South Korean national anthem was actually composed in a New York Methodist church in 1944.

Korean Provisional Government founding members, October 1919

100 years later

Korea was finally able to gain independence in 1945. It has been, however, a bitter-sweet victory. On the one hand, South Korea is today a thriving democratic country with a strong economy and a respected position on the world stage. On the other hand, this independence was followed by the division of the Korean nation into two separate states. The Independence Movement is, thus, still not complete. In the words of President Moon Jae-in: “The huge root of the March First Independence Movement will never wither.”