안녕하세요!
This week at the K-pop Academy we learnt about the March First Independent Movement, or Samil Movement.
The March 1st Movement, or Samil Movement, was one of the earliest public displays of Korean resistance during the occupation of the Korean Empire by Japan. The name makes reference to the day it took place; "Sam" meaning "three" and "il" meaning "one", therefore 3.1 movement. The March 1st Movement.
The Samil Movement came as a result of the repressive nature of colonial occupation under the military rule of the Japanese Empire following 1905, adding to this the death of former Emperor Kojong on January 21, 1919.
On March 1st, 1919, 33 activists who formed the core of the Samil Movement convened at Taehwagwan Restaurant in Seoul and read the Korean Declaration of Independence that had been drawn up by historian Choe Nam-seon. The activists initially planned to assemble at Tapgol Park (were nowadays there's a sculpture with the mentioned Declaration of Independence that can be visited) in downtown Seoul, but chose a more private location out of fear that the gathering might turn into a riot.
Despite the activists' concerns, massive crowds assembled in Pagoda Park to hear a student, Chung Jae-yong, read the declaration publicly. Afterwards, the gathering formed into a peaceable procession, which the Japanese military police attempted to suppress.
As the processions continued to grow, the Japanese local and military police could not control the crowds. The panicked Japanese officials called in military forces to quell the crowds including the naval forces. The frequently cited The Bloody History of the Korean Independence Movement by Park Eunsik reported 7,509 people killed, 15,849 wounded, and 46,303 arrested.
The March 1st Movement provided a catalytic momentum for the Korean Independence Movement. The Japanese government reacted to the March 1st Movement by heightening its suppression of dissent and dismissing the Movement as the "Chosun Manse Violent Public Disorder Incident". On May 24, 1949, March 1st was designated a national holiday in South Korea.
To commemorate this upcoming festivity we also learnt the meaning of the Korean flag, or Taegeukgi, which was the symbol for the movement.
“Taegeuk”, which is the circle of the flag in the centre, means “Grand Ultimate” or “Great polarity” and it is derived from the philosophy of yin and yang, which represents the balance of the universe. The four trigrams at the corners, called “Kwea” in Korean, also represent the concept of opposites and balance. The trigrams are heaven and earth at the other corner, water and fire at the other corner.
With the help of our Sunbaes we got to sew our very own Taegeukgi. This was my result:
It took a lot of effort and concentration, but it was worth it! It was fun making it and learning about this national festivity.
Thank you to everyone that made it possible.
감사합니다!
(Source: wikipedia, "3.1 movement n Taegeukgi movement" document, The 7th K-pop Academy Facebook page)
