workingclasshistory:

On this day, 1 March 1919, the Samil, or March First Movement, began in Korea – a series of protests for independence from Japanese colonialism. Over the next 6 weeks, around 2 million Koreans, 10% of the population, had taken part in 1500 demonstrations. Japanese police and armed forces violently suppressed the movement, killing around 7500 people, wounding nearly 16,000 and arresting over 46,000. Some were killed in public executions. In contrast, Japanese authorities claimed that 8 security forces personnel were killed. Despite the repression, the protests catalysed the Korean independence movement, and since 1949, 1 March has been a national holiday in South Korea.
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