삼일, or March 1, is a very special day for Koreans. It signals the demand that Koreans had for freedom from the enslavement of Japan. To me, it is the day of independence, compared to July 4 for Americans.
Here is a brief summary of the incidents that happened leading up to the Samil movement.
The First Sino-Japanese war ended in 1895, which was fought between China and Japan. The war ended when a peace treaty of Shimonoseki was signed by both sides. The significance of this was that Korea was given up by China and was left for Japan to colonize. Finally, in 1910, Japan annexed Korea to its own country.
Emperor Gojong, who was the last emperor of Korea was dethroned in 1910 when Japan annexed his country and he was later assassinated by the Japanese government on January 1919, the same year that the Samil protest occurred. The Koreans, of course, didn't like the reality of being part of Japan, one of its enemies for over 300 years. For the next 9 years, the citizens of Korea were forced to comply to Japanese culture, which included their names and language that were taken away. The teaching of Korean history and culture was banned so therefore historical documents were destroyed in the process. However, March 1 was when the Koreans finally displayed zero-tolerance for Japanese actions.

Onto the Samil movement
The March 1 movement was begun by 33 cultural and religious leaders who made a "Proclamation of Independence." This proclamation led to the actual protest in Seoul, mostly by students. The most notable one was a 16-year-old girl named Yu Gwan sun. After the protest in Seoul, she rallied the people of her home town in Cheonan, preparing for a protest by making Korean flags and unifying religious leaders for a month.
On April 1, or coincidently the lunar date of March 1, the people of Cheonan started a protest. Many people died, including her parents, or were imprisoned like her. She was later tortured to death by Japanese officers in the Seodaemun prison in Seoul. Linda Karen Miller furthers that people were tortured and imprisoned for even the slightest demonstration of support for the independence movement. Although Yu Gwan Sun was only a teenage girl, her name still represents how true bravery and loyalty is demonstrated in today's school classrooms.
Now, let's move on to the impacts of the Samil movement.
The first impact is the failure of the movement.
The Samil movement failed to give Korea the independence it demanded. The only reason why independence was granted in 1945 was due to the surrender of the Japanese caused by the bombings made by the Americans in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As a result of the Samil movement, over 7,000 Koreans died to the Japanese authorities. But, the sequel outweighs the actions that led up to this point in history.
The next part is concerning the successes.
First, the Samil movement brought many Koreans together to achieve independence, creating a unity. It set the stages for the Shanghai-Korean Provisional Government. This allowed the demand for independence by Koreans to be known throughout the world by representatives such as Rhee-Syngman and Ahn-Chang ho. They made efforts around the world, particularly in the United States to make Korea's outcry known.
Next, this movement inspired many other humanitarian movements as well. It influenced the
non-violent protests in India, which was Mahatma Gandhi's efforts for the better treatment of low
class citizens. Shin Yong-Ha from the Ewha Womans University stated that Gandhi’s
efforts were directly influenced by the Samil movement. She continues by saying that while he was staying in South Africa, he read articles concerning the protests occurring in Korea which led him to launch his own non-violence campaign. However, the influence of the Samil movement doesn’t stop here.
Shin Yong-Ha, furthers that, "the March First Movement should be reassessed as the first beacon
that lighted the hope for freedom for three-fourths of mankind." Surprisingly, there was an impact on the United States.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was a minister in the United States who was famously known for his leadership in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s.
As an American, I was taught in my classroom that Martin Luther King was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent protest. Like I mentioned earlier, Gandhi’s movement was a direct result of the Samil movement in Korea. This means that Martin Luther King’s civil rights movement was a direct correlation of the March 1 movement.
Now, as a Korean, I am very proud of the results. Knowing that my Korean ancestors’ fight for freedom resurrecting through the famous civil rights movement of the 60’s gives me arrogance of my origin.

The Final Move
To conclude, the actions that were taken by my ancestors in the early 20th century during the period of Japanese rule gave Korea the momentum to stay as a country. If it weren't for them, the strong bonds between each Korean at the time would have been broken and all hope of independence and freedom would be shattered. Their courageous actions and sacrifices have led South Korea to be the country it is today, as well as letting all of us Koreans in the United States to exist. Also, having the knowledge of the fact that the Samil movement is still the core foundation for America's fight for human rights gives me nothing but pride for my motherland.

<Ian Kim 9th Grade Edgemont HS Scarsdale, NY>