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March 1^st Movement in Hwaseong That Made Imperial Japan Afraid

This year marks the centennial of the March 1^st Movement and is also the 100th year anniversary of the establishment of the provisional government. On March 1, 1919, the Korean people shouted and cried out, "Manse!" expressing their desire and yearning for independence. The "Manse" movement that spread across the nation was a movement for independence from Japan's colonial rule and a struggle for the values of freedom, democracy and equality. Hwaseong was no exception. Citizens in Hwaseong climbed 80 mountains and raised their torches high to resist Japan’s colonial domination. In every region of Hwaseong, the "Manse" movement was conducted in various ways, depending on the conditions of the villages.

The “Manse” movement in Hwaseong adopted a principle of nonviolence. However, the Hwasuri confrontation in Ujeong-myeon and Jangan-myeon consisted of large-scale demonstrations that were organized with preliminary consultations that were carried out in order to plan systematic attacks against Japanese's governing units. These uprisings resulted in the death of Japan's sergeant Kawabata after a fierce battle.

At that time, Japan defined the Hwasuri uprising in Hwaseong as a riot and characterized it as one of the most violent demonstrations, along with the protests in Gangsang-myeon in Jangdan-gun. Reports from the military police even claimed that the mob's degree of intensity and violence in Hwaseong was unprecedented and had never been seen elsewhere. In the wake of the Hwasuri uprising, Namyang and Sagang police stations were temporarily withdrawn, prompting rumors that they would punish the Japanese and destroy the market. These rumors were furthered upon the discovery that the leaders of the independence movement and their families had fled to other regions. The Japanese imperialists judged that the armed uprisings in Hwaseong were not simple and coincidental acts of violence, but rather ones organized systematically by those who wanted independence from Japan. Thus, the Japanese decided that the ordinary repression method would not work. They realized that in order to uproot the main cause of the March 1st Movement, they must prevent the flames of the independence movement from spreading inland from the villages on the coast. The Japanese realized that it was essential to terminate the misguided hopes for Korea's independence by eradicating leaders and overthrowing their forts and hideouts. It was judged that the independence movement bases in Jeam-ri and Goju-ri must be destroyed first, in order to protect their own people residing in Balan (a village east of Jeam-ri).

Jeam-ri and Goju-ri Massacres: The Peak of Repression

On April 15, 1919, Arita Toshio led 11 infantry troops to Jeam-ri in Hyangnam-meyon and Goju-ri in Paltan-myeon. Japan's Sasaka and his aide Jo Hee-chang arrived in Jeam-ri and called all of the village's adult men to gather in the church. They carefully carried out their operations, even checking the list of residents and sending out for those who did not come to the gathering. He locked the door of the church with the residents inside and set the church on fire. Residents who tried to escaped the carnage were pursued and shot to death.

The wives of two of the men who were locked in the church, Kang Tae-seong and Hong Won-sik, hurried to the church after seeing what happened and were also killed. The assailants burned the entire village to ashes, setting over 30 homes on fire. Arita Toshio, who had just completed the massacre at Jeam-ri, led his army unit straight to Goju-ri in Paltan-myeon. The unit killed a total of six residents in Goju-ri, including the village's Cheondogyo leader and independence fighter Kim Heung-ryeol, his younger brothers Kim Seong-ryeol and Kim Se-yeol, Kim Seong-ryeol’s son Heung-bok, and Kim Se-yeol’s sons Ju-nam and Ju-eop. These men were burned for three days during the massacre.

The Jeam-ri and Goju-ri massacres were the most politically motivated events, compared to any of the other incidents committed during Japan's suppression of the March 1^st Movement. Utsnomiya, Japan's army commander in Joseon, had ordered his men to find and terminate the source of the March 1^st Movement by any means, even if it meant having to use violence or force. The commander warned that if the military was too prudent, the "Manse" movement could be prolonged. In addition, the chief of police, Shiojawa, commanded that decisive actions must be taken. Shiojawa said that ultimate steps must be taken with no mercy given, exclaiming that a fly swatter would not do the job, and instead "proper" weapons must be used against the crowds of protestors.

The massacres at Jeam-ri and Goju-ri were neither an aberration of Arita Toshio, nor an accidental occurrence. The repression method used by Japan was planned in detail and conducted elaborately, with the heart of it based on the retaliation and eradication of the independence movement base, rather than the apprehension of its leaders, and revolving around the area in which offices and police stations were attacked and a Japanese police officer was killed. The Jeam-ri and Goju-ri massacres stood at the highest peak of the suppression process of the March 1^st Movement in Hwaseong.

Japan’s Brutal Massacre that Shocked the World

The Jeam-ri massacre was revealed to the world by U.S. Vice-Consul R. S. Curtis, AP correspondent A. W. Taylor and missionaries H. H. Underwood and F. W. Schofield, who witnessed the devastation after the incident. The devastation left from the Jeam-ri massacre, which was uncovered by these individuals, became known to the international community through the U.S. Congress and foreign media, prompting public interest and anger. The Provisional Government issued various publications about the atrocities of the massacres in Jeam-ri and Goju-ri, explaining the injustice of Japan's colonial rule and appealing for the support of Korea's independence movement. In the wake of the Jeam-ri massacre, the international community, which had believed that Joseon was becoming a better place to live under Japan's rule, began to show interest in the independence movement of the Joseon people while denouncing Japan's inhumane colonial rule.

Faced with international criticism, the Japanese empire court-martialed Arita Toshio and others related to the incident. However, at that time, Japan denied the massacres, realizing that admitting to the massacres would lead to an unfavorable situation for Japan. Commander Utsnomiya wrote in his diary that it would be simple to deal with the facts as they are, but acknowledging the atrocities committed towards foreigners, who also wield their own poison, would put the Empire in a disadvantageous position. He continued to explain that doing such could also trigger a rise in despotism in Joseon and cause problems for Japanese officers and soldiers engaged in suppressing the movement. Lastly, he decided not to acknowledge the massacre and instead, claimed that the mobs were killed because they had resisted.

However, after an internal discussion during which Japan accepted the position of the governor-general of Joseon, who explained that denying the entire incident could work against Japan amid the exposure of Japan's atrocities, Japan eventually decided to take a different direction than they had originally decided, admitting to the massacres to a certain extent. Out of belief that taking a few administrative measures would be advantageous, Japan acquitted Arita Toshio and handed out perfunctory penalties to the other officers involved. Arita Toshio alleged that the armed suppression, though not an appropriate method of suppression, was necessary in order to execute his duties. He claimed that while the massacre could be acknowledged, crime due to negligence cannot be acknowledged as a crime, as it is not an offense stipulated in the Criminal Law. Court-martialing Arita Toshio and others connected to the Jeam-ri massacre, which had been coordinated internally, was merely a formality intended to ease international opinion which had deteriorated since the March 1^st Movement. The aim of Arita Toshio's acquittal was to justify and legitimize the massacre, thereby solidifying Japan's colonial regime that was endangered by the March 1^st Movement. The verdict was also tantamount to offering excuses for similar incidents to be committed in the future.

Remembering April 15

The Hwaseong massacre of Jeam-ri and Goju-ri was one of the most violent crimes committed by the Japanese imperialists in efforts to suppress the March 1^st Movement. The massacre was not accidental. It was a calculated, massive retaliation against the anti-Japanese protestors at the March 1^st Movement in Hwaseong. It was an act of slaughter aimed to eradicate the leaders of the anti-Japanese movement and the residents of Jeam-ri and Goju-ri who were actively resisting and fighting Japan's military rule.

Japanese military police records show that at the time, 46 people were killed, 23 people were injured, 345 houses were burned and 379 people were apprehended. However, considering that this data was reported by the Japanese government, the actual damage is estimated to be larger. Though many died or went missing because the atrocities committed by Japan throughout the region of Hwaseong, many independence fighters were not accounted for, due to a lack of files and records, despite their courageous efforts for independence.

It is hard to believe that such atrocities unfolded in what is now a peaceful, rural village. However, just 100 years ago, the passion for independence was stronger here than anywhere else. Even today, one can feel the noble spirits of those patriotic martyrs who fought for Korea's independence and rose up courageously against Japan's colonial rule thanks to the numerous Korean flags still flying in the village and the Jeam-ri March 1st Movement Martyrdom Hall. The cemetery of the martyrs and the memorial hall allude to the severity of the massacre embedded deeply in the village's history.

Recalling the Jeam-ri and Goju-ri Massacres on the 100^th Anniversary

In September of 1982, as the site of the Jeam-ri massacre was designated by the nation as cultural property, the necessities to build an education center to teach new generations about patriotism and to remember the patriotic anti-Japan spirit of the 29 martyrs arose. In order to fulfill this need, the Jeam-ri March 1^st Movement Martyrdom Hall opened on March 1, 2001.

The exhibition rooms of the martyrdom hall offer activities related to the March 1^st Movement and independence fighters from Hwaseong, display testimonies of the massacre by families of the bereaved, offer perspectives from abroad on the Jeam-ri incident, and exhibit relics excavated from the site. This year, marking the centennials of both the March 1^st Movement and the April 14 Jeam-ri and Goju-ri massacres, a variety of programs will be featured at the Jeam-ri Martyrdom Hall, including, “Coding Along the Hwaseong March 1^st Manse Road,” “March 1^st Movement Stories Heard in Jeam-ri,” “Sagang Market Board Game,” “Educational Experience Exposition,” and “100^th Anniversary Special Exhibition and Academic Seminar.” These special exhibitions and programs will be held in time for the dedication ceremony of the road upon which independence fighters walked shouting "Manse!" 100 years ago.

Although 100 years have passed since the Jeam-ri and Goju-ri massacres, the Japanese government remains quiet about the incident, neither acknowledging nor apologizing. However, the Jeam-ri and Goju-ri massacres are the representative symbols of the national movement that sought independence, and must be remembered. The ultimate reason for us to remember the Jeam-ri incident is to prevent this misfortune from recurring again in our history. For those of us living today, the genocides of Jeam-ri and Goju-ri are not merely events that shows the atrocity of Japanese imperialism, but are rather events that carries significance and values of independence, peace, human rights and freedom.