102 Years Ago, a Student Movement Liberated Korea from Japanese Suppression. Here’s Why that Matters So Much in 2021

In South Korea, Independence Movement Day, or Samil Jeol (or Manse Demonstrations) is the equivalent of July Fourth in the United States. Today, marks 102nd anniversary of Korean Independence Movement. It is designated as a national holiday in Korea and teachers in school are educating prospective students about March 1st movement. March 1st movement is unlike any other movement in other countries around the world as this required sacrifice and fighting for freedom and gaining independence from Japan during the age of imperialism (1900–1945), specifically, Japanese colonial era (1910–1945). Luckily, it didn’t take a major war for Koreans to gain their freedom from colonial rule. It did, however, lead to thousands of lives sacrificed, a dramatic and courageous Declaration of Independence, and a new sense of self-determination among the people who eventually became liberated.

March 1st movement marks a significance in today’s foundation of Korea because it showed resilience of overcoming hardship for fighting for free ideas and intellectuals including independence movement leaders from Yu Gwan-Sun (Hangul: 유관순, Hanja: 柳寬順), Kim Kyu-Sik (Korean:김규식, Hanja:金奎植), Kim Gu (Hangul:김구, Hanja:金九), Yun Bong-Gil (Korean: 윤봉길, Hanja: 尹奉吉), An Jung-Geun (Korean: 안중근, Hanja: 安重根), Lyuh Woon-Hyung (Korean: 여운형, Hanja:呂運亨).

And it’s those concepts that remain today, in both countries, as the most significant…