Gyeongnam Province Commemorates 105th Anniversary of March 1st Movement... Over 400 Including Descendants of Patriotic Activists Chant "Long Live Korean Independence"

“Odeung (五等) hereby declares that Joseon is an independent country and that the Joseon people are sovereign citizens.”

On the 1st, the voice reading the Declaration of Independence echoed through the main auditorium of the new building at Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office during the 105th March 1st Movement Anniversary Ceremony.

At the March 1st Movement Anniversary Ceremony hosted by Gyeongnam Province, over 400 people including families of independence activists, heads of veterans’ organizations, and residents of the province gathered to shout “Manse” and commemorate that historic day.

The 105th anniversary of the March 1st Movement commemorative ceremony is being held at the main auditorium of the new building of Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office]

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The ceremony proceeded in the order of a report on the March 1st Movement, reading of the Declaration of Independence, awarding of merit recipients, commemorative speeches, commemorative performances, introduction of the achievements of independence activists by their families, singing of the March 1st Movement song, and three cheers of “Manse.”

The Declaration of Independence was read aloud by descendants of merit recipients: Jeong Eun-kyung, and students Kim Jun-seok, Kim Ji-on, and Kim Tae-in.

Seong Seo-young, descendant of the late Seong Do-il; Lee Min-tae, descendant of the late Lee Chun-geun; and Ha Kyung-soo, descendant of the late Ha Chan-hyun, took the stage to sing the March 1st Movement song.

Kim Sun-hee, child of the late Kim Jeong-cheol who joined a secret society and led a solidarity school strike at Chuncheon High School in Gangwon Province in 1938, received a presidential citation.

Descendants of independence activists are reading the Declaration of Independence at the 105th March 1st Movement Anniversary Ceremony held at the New Building Auditorium of Gyeongnam Provincial Government. [Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

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Gyeongnam Province conducted the ceremony focusing on the families of independence activists rather than VIPs, introducing each attending family member through video broadcasts to further honor the independence activists.

Time was also set aside to hear directly from the families about the achievements of the independence activists.

Lee Soo-hak, descendant of the late Lee Gang-seok who led the independence “Manse” movements in Mugye-ri, Jangyu-myeon, Gimhae, and Baek Tae-gi, descendant of the late Baek Nak-sam who led the movement in Haman-eup, Haman County, took the stage to personally introduce their ancestors’ anti-Japanese movements.

Park Sang-beom, descendant of the late Park Dal-jun who led the independence “Manse” movement in Hapcheon, graduated from the Shinheung Military Academy, and participated in the Battle of Cheongsanri, also shared stories of his ancestor’s independence activities.

Immediately after the ceremony, the movie “Hero,” a musical film about the independence movement of An Jung-geun, was screened free of charge.

At the entrance of the event venue, a commemorative exhibition titled “The Path of Independence, Blossoming Through Records” was held, introducing the history of the March 1st Movement in the Gyeongnam region and independence activists from Gyeongnam.

The province plans to exhibit this at the Gyeongsangnam-do Archives from the 4th to the 29th.

Gyeongnam Province Governor Park Wan-su expresses his commitment to discovering and honoring independence activists at the 105th March 1st Movement Anniversary Ceremony.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

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Governor Park Wan-su said, “The spirit of the March 1st Movement, which has wisely overcome endless challenges and trials, is our history and pride,” adding, “Gyeongnam Province will do its best to pass on the free Republic of Korea, which was earnestly hoped for 105 years ago, and furthermore a prosperous Gyeongnam, so that future generations can have pride and self-esteem.”

He continued, “Since last year, the province has collected and analyzed data and applied for awards for twenty-four unrecognized independence activists in the U.S., and recently discovered and analyzed thirteen additional volumes of prisoner registers,” stating, “We will actively discover and honor independence activists.”

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