Independence Movement Day is the day of taking one step into independence. It was an independence movement which happened on March 1st, 1919. It was held all over the Korean peninsula. And though most Koreans think of Yu Gwan Sun, there were actually 33 other people who read the declaration of independence. However, Koreans think of Yu Gwan Sun. It’s because she was only 17 years old when she took part in this movement, and she was sentenced to death because she led another independence movement. It’s a fact that she shouted, “Korea hooray!”, which means, “Korea independence hooray!” to Koreans on March 1st.

This year, 2019 makes this Independence Movement Day 100 years old. Because of that, Korea had lots of events. Even before March, there was a Commemorative coin in January, and 8 different events, including the 100th Anniversary Special Exhibition. In March, there were 17 events. One of these events was the ‘Declaration of Independence National Reading Project’. Like the title says, every Korean can take part in this event. If you type ‘독립선언서 국민낭독 프로젝트’ on Youtube or Google, you can see many videos. There are female divers, people from Folk Village, firefighters, Navy, Air Force, and even students from famous universities.

This year is very important to Koreans, because the March First Independence Movement Day is very important to Koreans, whether they are men or women, children, youths, or grownups. This day is considered as one of the reasons that made Korea’s independence possible. Because of this day, Koreans could remind themselves not to forget the fact that they are Korean, not Japanese. And this day made a chain reaction. It started many independence movements. This movement inspired so many people. And they inspired others, including their descendants. Although this was 100 years ago, it still touches many people and it inspires people to this day.