March 1st Movement Day 2020
Understanding What Fuelled Korean Nationalism
In order to understand the purpose of the March 1st Movement Day, which was held on Sunday the 1st of March 2020, one needs to understand the history behind it.
Korean nationalism was stoked following the end of World War I while Korea was still struggling under the yoke of Japanese imperialism. Korean students studying in Japan wrote a paper demanding independence and a procession was organised in Pagoda Park that was halted by Japanese police. The protestors were said to have been rounded up and locked inside a church that was then set on fire. The police fired live rounds into the fire to make sure that no one survived.
Though Korea finally gained independence it was only after World War II and the March 1st Movement celebrates the long road and struggles that happened in between. This year was no difference, it was one of the things to see in Seoulwhere visitors to the city stayed in hotels like Travelodge Myeongdong City Hall.