Korea’s Independence Movement Day, March 1st

On March the 1st, Korea commemorates a very special day in Korean culture and history. It is the March 1st Movement, alternatively known as the Sam-il Jeol (삼일 절), Independence Movement Day, or the Three-One Movement.\

History:

On this day, in 1919, Korean people attended peaceful demonstrations to protest Japanese occupation of Korea. These demonstrations commenced in Tapgol Park, located in the capitol of South Korea, Seoul. Not long after, the demonstrations spread all over South Korea. What started off with 33 cultural and religious leaders calling for independence from Japan, ended up in thousands of supporters in well over a 1000 demonstrations countrywide. These demonstrations were met with brutal suppression and retalliation. According to a Korean scholar, Park Eun-sik, 7,500 were killed, 16,000 wounded, and 46,000 were arrested. These demonstrations were some of the first durring the oppressive Japanese rule from 1910 to 1945. The Sam-il Jeol is also referred to as the Man-se Demonstrations 만세운동 (manseundong).

Commemorations:

Annually, the Koreans pay their respects to those who died, fought and protested for Korean independence. The proceedings entail participating in festivals, concerts and events. The Korean Declaration of Independence is read in Tapgol Park on March 1st. On March 1st, 2019, Korea held the Centennial Anniversary of the Independence Movement. The Korean government, led by Moon Jae-in, established the Commission on Centennial Anniversary of March 1st Independence Movement, which was tasked with planning a year-long celebration.

Part of the celebrations was the display of the Korean flag, known as the Taegukgi, in Korean businesses and homes… and really everywhere a flag could stick. In retrospect it all makes sense now. During my time in S. Korea, I noticed the immense pride the nation had and the abundance of flags everywhere.

Name Explained:

The name Samil Jeol can be broken into three parts:
Sam (삼) = Three
il (일) = One
Jeol (절) = Festival Day (Word Suffix)

Where and how to Celebrate:

For obvious reasons, the best place to visit Samil Jeol is in Tapgol Park, Seoul. Get yourself a Taegukgi flag, walk around Seoul, learn of the culture by day and celebrate by night. Depending on the year, the activities will differ, but when you’re in the area, feel free to ask the locals, or research online what you can do in your area to celebrate and commemorate the March 1st Movement.

Additional:

I happened to stumble upon Tapgol Park back in 2019, without having any prior knowledge of the site and it’s history, but here are some photos and videos of the area… (Not the best quality or content).