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The “Mansae” Movement that shouted for independence began to spread like a wild fire starting on March 1, 1919. The movement, in which all classes took part regardless of age, status, and gender, went beyond Korea and even spread abroad. This year’s new series “Looking Back on the March 1st Movement” introduces new stories and new facts in connection with the March 1st Movement that have not been widely known and that shook the whole country 100 years ago.

Marking the centennial of the March 1st Movement and the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, investigative reports by academic conferences, exhibitions, and media outlets have been published one after another. Broadcasters and newspapers have been reporting competitively, but photos showing scenes of protests from this time are unexpectedly rare. Viewers or readers with good eye sight may have encountered the following photos repeatedly in various reports. 

Photos 1 and 2 『The Korean Independence Movement』 (The Oriental Press, Shanghai) – preserved in Yonsei University’s Korean Studies Database 

However, it is difficult to identify when and where the demonstrations featured in photos 1 and 2 were photographed. The caption on the website of Independence Hall that says, “The photos of ‘Mansae’ Demonstrations in front of Daehanmun Gate at the time of the March 1st Movement in 1919,” may be the most detailed content. However, this caption is difficult to quickly and easily understand. Daehanmun Gate cannot be seen anywhere in the two photos and furthermore, an unfamiliar Western building stands out. If one looks at Seoul’s topographic map, published by the land survey department after measurement in 1915, one can confirm that Kyungsung Ilbo was located on the site of the present Seoul Metropolitan Library (old Seoul City Hall) near Daehanmun Gate. Kyungsung Ilbo, which had originally been in Pil-dong, moved its office building to the site of the present Seoul Metropolitan Library on October 17, 1914. 

As half of the wooden building was destroyed by fire on November 18, 1915, Kyungsung Ilbo built a new company building on October 1, 1916, which is the structure captured in the photos. Thus, the location in the photos can be specified as the front of Kyungsung Ilbo, outside of Daehanmun Gate (Deoksugung Palace). Knowing this information, is it possible to determine the date on which the photo was taken? It is possible guess through photos that appear in The Rebirth of Korea by Shin Heung-woo, published in 1920 by Abingdon Press in New York.

Photo 3, that appears to be a combination of the earlier two photos, is captioned, “Crowds crying ‘Mansae’ (‘Hurrah’) in front of Deoksugung Palace, Seoul on March 1, 1919.” The Rebirth of Korea is a book by Shin Heung-woo, who was head of Paichai High School at the time. Shin Heung-woo published the book by collecting texts from lectures he had delivered in various places after attending the commemorative event marking the centennial of the United States Methodist Church, held in Ohio in March 1919. Shin Heung-woo was known to have been in Pyongyang at the time of the March 1st Movement and so it is presumed that he would not have participated in the March 1st demonstrations or witnessed them in person.

Photo 3 『The Rebirth of Korea』 (Abingdon Press, New York, 1920) – preserved in Myongji University Library

However, given that he clarified in the preface that he had authored the book based on government records, official statements, reliable documents, and testimonies, his explanation about the photo is judged to be credible. Therefore, it can be concluded that the photo above was the scene of the demonstrations staged in front of Kyungsung Ilbo, outside of Deoksugung Palace, where the body of King Gojong was enshrined.

Photo 4 『The Korean Independence Movement』 (The Oriental Press, Shanghai) - preserved in Yonsei University’s Korean Studies Database

Photo 4 is captioned, “The procession of numerous Korean protestors crying ‘Mansae’ (‘Hurrah’) after delivering the Declaration of Independence to an American consul.” The wall on the right side of the photo, the upper part of Deoksugung Seokjojeon, and the consulate building that appear in the background prompt speculation that the photo’s background is actually the middle path between the present U.S. embassy residence and Deoksugung Palace. But one cannot hastily jump to conclusions because of the fact that the Western building at the end of the road and the wall of the U.S. consulate on the left side are set further back than where they are situation today. But if one looks at the topographic map again, it is possible to find Dondeokjeon on the left side of Seokjojeon, roads and buildings between the U.S. consulate and the Chungdong First Methodist Church, and another road (currently Chungdong-gil). Dondeokjeon had been used as the venue for the imperial house’s major events until King Gojong’s death and was later demolished after Sunjong moved to Changdeokgung Palace. Thus, it can be presumed that this photograph was taken of the scene of demonstrations marked as a square in the topographic map. But when was the photo taken? A look at the current status of demonstrations in the Seoul area at the time of the March 1st Movement in the March 1st Movement database of the National History Compilation Committee reveals that it was only on March 1 that the protests erupted in front of the U.S. consulate. Shin Heung-woo’s above-mentioned book states that crowds had street parades in three groups on March 1 in the directions of the Daehanmun Gate, foreign consulates (U.S. and France), and the Japanese Government-General of Korea. If so, this photo can be presumed to be photo of demonstrators who were coming back after reaching the U.S. consulate on March 1. Scenes of demonstrations in front of Kyungsung Ilbo and in the alley next to Seokjojeon in the photo are similar. Students putting on school uniforms and wearing hats, and citizens putting on traditional Korean overcoats naturally formed lines and were moving, crying “Mansae!” (“Hurrah!”) with their hands raised high. Among the throngs of people parading the streets without any dangerous weapons, such as firearms or knives, was Park Hee-chang, a pharmaceutical student. The 21-year-old, who had lived in Yeonji-dong after coming to Seoul from Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, went to the front of the Jongno Youth Center upon hearing the midday (noon) gun and received a copy of the declaration from someone. Boosted by the crowds’ “Mansae” (“Hurrah”), he traveled from Mugyo Jeong to Bonjeong-2-jeongmok (currently Chungmu-ro 2 Ga) through Daehanmun Gate, the U.S. consulate, Paichai High School, Daehanmun Gate, the Jongno intersection, Heunghwamun Gate, Chosun Infantry Unit and French consulate, passing the Bank of Chosun, before being captured in front of the Bonjeong-2-jeongmok police substation (“Korean People’s Independence History Sourcebook” 13, “Interrogation Reports of People Associated with Declaration of Independence, Including Park Hee-chang”). According to documents written by the military police and police, tens of thousands of people took part in the demonstrations in Seoul that day and 134 protestors, including Park Hee-chang, and 29 signers of the Declaration of Independence were arrested and interrogated.