Gwangju Student Independence Movement
Encyclopedia
The Gwangju Student Independence Movement (Hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...

: 광주 학생 독립 운동 Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...

:光州學生獨立運動), or Gwangju Student Movement was a Korean independence movement
Korean independence movement
The Korean independence movement grew out of the Japanese colonial rule of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945. After the Japanese surrendered, Korea became independent; that day is now an annual holiday called Gwangbokjeol in South Korea, and Chogukhaebangŭi nal in North Korea.-Background:In...

 in Gwangju
Gwangju
Gwangju is the sixth largest city in South Korea. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister...

 against the 22 August 1910 to 15 August 1945 Japanese rule
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....

 of Korea. The Gwangju Student Independence Movement took place in October and November 1929. It is considered the second-most important Korean independence movement in the period of the Japanese occupation, with the March 1st Movement
March 1st Movement
The March 1st Movement, or Samil Movement, was one of the earliest public displays of Korean resistance during the occupation of the Korean Empire by Japan. The name refers to an event that occurred on March 1, 1919, hence the movement's name, literally meaning "Three-One Movement" or "March First...

 considered the most important. The Gwangju Student Independence Movement spread out throughout the Korean Peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...

.

Background

Shortly after the March 1st Movement, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was the partially recognised government in exile of Korea, based in Shanghai, China, and later in Chongqing, during the Colonial Korea.-History:...

 was established which fostered the independence until the liberation
Gwangbokjeol
Gwangbokjeol, celebrated annually on August 15, is one of the Public holidays in South Korea. It commemorates Victory over Japan Day, which liberated Korea from colonial rule...

 from Japan was achieved on . Soon, on 1920, the provisional government led Battle of Qingshanli which is regarded as one of the most successful battles against the Japanese Empire in the independence history of Korea. As a result, the Japan Empire and Japanese General Government responded to this with cruel suppression thus the independence movement faced stalemate. However, as the new clandestine organization for the independence called the New Stem Association was formed in 1927, the independent movement became much more active with clandestine activities. Also, as the New Trunk Association embraced various political spectrum in Korea, they could gain much more power to struggle against Japan.

The first student movement

On October 30, 1929, Japanese students in the train station in Naju
Naju
Naju is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea.The capital of South Jeolla was located at Naju until it was moved to Gwangju in 1895. The name Jeolla actually originates from the first character of Jeonju and the first character of Naju . Dongshin University is situated in Naju...

 harassed a few Korean female students. This incident was the initial cause of anti-Japanese demonstrations in various high schools in Gwangju
Gwangju
Gwangju is the sixth largest city in South Korea. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister...

. On November 10 — coincidentally both the birthday of Emperor Meiji
Emperor Meiji
The or was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death...

 (明治節) and Gaecheonjeol
Gaecheonjeol
Gaecheonjeol is a public holiday in South Korea on 3 October. Also known by the English name National Foundation Day, this holiday celebrates the creation of the state of Gojoseon founded by Dangun Wanggeom in the year 2333 BC....

 (Hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...

:개천절, Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...

: 開天節), the National Foundation Day of Korea — students were forced to sing the Kimigayo, the national anthem of Japan and hymn to the its emperor. Instead of reluctantly singing it, students remained silent or shouted for independence. Jaeseong Jang, one of those students who participated in this activity, started to lead street demonstrations and insisted that students make this protest into part of ongoing resistance against Japanese rule.

The second student movement

On November 12, 1929, student groups led by Jaeseong Jang distributed mimeographed copies of requests to participate in the movement. Later, students from a few high schools such as Gwangju Agriculture High School and Gwangju Girls' High School decided go on strike against the Japanese regime. In response, authorities decided to impose suspension on students who participated in the movement. This actually led more people to be encouraged to join the movement. Amongst the slogans the students had, the nationalist and socialist views seemed to be distinct.

Aftermath

While the movement was becoming intense, Seokchun Jang, the head of the Gwangju branch of New People's Association
New People's Association
The New People's Association, established on April 1941 is a clandestine organization for fostering the independence and national strength of the Korean Empire...

, arrived Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

 to report what happened in Gwangju to leaders of New People's Association. From the two conferences he held, he insisted that this movement should become national-wide to struggle for independence. Soon this idea got accepted, and New People's Association began to prepare for demonstrations in Seoul and other major cities. Even though most leaders in Seoul got arrested by the police before their protests, a few schools continued to have demonstrations. This led to the participation from other major political leaders such as Cho Byeong-ok
Cho Byeong-ok
Cho Byeong-ok was a South Korean politician. He ran against incumbent president Syngman Rhee in the 1960 Presidential Elections but died just days before the election. Rhee received 90% of the vote....

, Han Yong-un, and Song Jin-Woo
Song Jin-Woo
Song Jin-Woo is a retired Korea Baseball Organization left-handed pitcher for the Hanwha Eagles. He also competed for South Korea in the 2000 Summer Olympics on the team that won the bronze medal.Song played in the KBO for 21 years since...

. Eventually, the number of participated schools proliferated by 323.

Effects

Although their protests resulted in the severe repression from the Japanese government, those efforts students made not only encouraged national independence movement, but also became the predecessor of student movements. Sim Hun
Sim Hun
Shim Dae-Seop , more commonly known by his pen name Shim Hun, was a Korean novelist, poet, playwright and patriot.-Biography:...

, the Korean novelist, wrote a collection of poetry Kunali Omyeon (그날이 오면, If that day comes) to commemorate a student independence movement in Gwangju in 1930. In 1953, the National Assembly of South Korea announced the establishment of the Student's Day (학생의 날) to celebrate students' efforts on every November 3. Later, in 2006, this name soon changed into Student Independence Movement Anniversary(학생독립운동 기념일).
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