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2019 Eunoia

The 100th Anniversary of the
3.1 Movement

Seo Eun-been

There is a need to shed light on forgotten heroes who
have devoted themselves to the independence movement.
Because they sacrificed themselves for our country, we
need to make an effort to remember them all. When people
think of independence activists, they can't even count the
names of ten of them on their fingers.

According to the Committee for the 3.1 Independence
Movement and the 100th Anniversary of the Provisional Government1), the indepence movement began on
March 1st, 1919 when students distributed copies of their Declaration of Independence to citizens in the
early morning. Students gathered at Tapgol Park from noon, and 33 national representatives issued their
Declaration of Independence at Taehwagwan.

Afterwards, the crowd rang the bell at Bosingak which symbolized Koreans protest to Japan's colonial
rule. Protesters cried for independence, and downtown Seoul was filled with the shouting activists.
Through these actions, Topgol Park in Bosingak became the birthplace of the 3.1 movement.

The 3.1 Independence Movement informed the world of the Korean people's desire for independence and
served as an occasion for Korea to establish an interim government. The main characters of the movement
were the nameless heroes who cried "Hurrah" around Bosingak. Their struggle is commemorated with a
stone monument in front of Bosingak.

There are many other independence activists who aren’t known well. This is because there were many
people who worked abroad to stop Japanese oppression. Many of them struggled against the Japanese
in China, Manchuria, and the Maritime Province, strongholds
of both the provisional government of Japan and the
Independence Army.

We should remember the independence activists who
sacrificed themselves for our country when celebrating the
100th anniversary of the 3.1 Independence Movement.

__________________________________________________
1) Provisional Government 임시정부

33MYEONG-SHIN GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL