[Full Text] President Moon: "Overcome COVID-19 Through Unity"... Commemorative Speech at the '101st Anniversary of the March 1st Movement Ceremony'

President Moon Jae-in is delivering a March 1st Movement Day commemorative speech at Baehwa Girls' High School in Jongno-gu on the 1st.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] President Moon Jae-in emphasized the national spirit of historically overcoming national crises at the '101st Anniversary of the March 1st Movement Commemoration Ceremony' held on the 1st, stating, "We can overcome the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and revive the weakened economy."

In his commemorative speech at Baehwa Girls' High School in Jongno-gu, Seoul, President Moon said, "We are reminded once again through the March 1st Independence Movement that we can overcome anything if we are together," and added, "The current crisis will surely be overcome by the entire nation working together."

He continued, "Especially, the ongoing support and warm gestures toward the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions are truly

the strength of the Republic of Korea," emphasizing, "Daegu and Gyeongbuk are never alone." He also added, "I believe more citizens will join forces, and we will definitely achieve results that break the momentum of the virus."

The Baehwa Girls' High School, where the ceremony was held, is a historic site where about 40 students of Baehwa School held a commemorative event marking the first anniversary of the March 1st Movement in March 1920, and where independence activists served as teachers at the time.

The March 1st Movement anniversary ceremony held on the 1st at Baehwa Girls' High School in Jongno-gu is taking place with President Moon Jae-in and First Lady Kim Jung-sook in attendance. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Below is the full text of President Moon's speech at the '101st Anniversary of the March 1st Movement Commemoration Ceremony'

[ Full Text ]

Respected citizens,

Overseas compatriots,

We are holding the March 1st Movement commemoration ceremony in this extraordinary situation.

It is a difficult time in many ways, but

it is very meaningful to hold the 101st anniversary ceremony of the March 1st Movement here at Baehwa Girls' High School, where the first March 1st Movement was commemorated on March 1, 1920, with cries of ‘Long live Korean independence’.

In December 1919, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea

published the first calendar of the democratic republic, the ‘Daehanmin Calendar’,

designating March 1st as Independence Day and marking it as a national holiday.

The Provisional Government declared March 1st as

‘the sacred day of the revival of the Korean people’ through a Ministry of the Interior proclamation,

held the first March 1st Movement commemoration and celebration in Shanghai,

and played a central role in simultaneous commemorative independence demonstrations nationwide and overseas, including at Baehwa School.

At Seodaemun Prison, martyr Yu Gwan-sun and independence activists

risked their lives shouting ‘Long live independence’,

and in Tokyo, Vladivostok, the United States, and France,

they declared the country's independence and national autonomy.

Wherever our people were,

the March 1st Movement commemorations continued throughout the Japanese colonial period.

The Japanese tried to erase and silence the memory of that day through special security measures and preemptive arrests,

but students revived the spirit of the March 1st Movement through solidarity strikes, merchants through boycotts, and workers through strikes.

Even amid the devastation of the Korean War in 1951,

and during the 1998 foreign exchange crisis,

over the past 100 years, we have without fail commemorated the March 1st Movement,

reaffirming the ‘great power’ of unity.

We are reminded once again through the March 1st Movement that

we can overcome anything if we are together.

Every March 1st, the shouts of ‘Long live’ gave us courage.

Today’s crisis will surely be overcome by the entire nation working together.

Citizens,

In 1919 alone, there were an astonishing 1,542 independence demonstrations,

resulting in over 7,600 deaths nationwide, more than 16,000 injuries,

and over 46,000 arrests and detentions.

This was unprecedented worldwide.

Despite harsh Japanese oppression,

the spirit of our people was never broken.

Students, farmers, workers, and women themselves

became the protagonists of independence, self-reliance, and capability-building,

nurturing even greater hope.

On January 13, 1920, the Provisional Government’s official newspaper, the ‘Independence Newspaper’,

published a recommendation from Hong Beom-do, commander of the Korean Independence Army volunteer corps,

affirming the legitimacy of armed struggle and determination to recover the homeland.

On January 30, the Shinheung Military Academy in Western Jiandao held a graduation ceremony for 76 graduates,

who would become the main figures in the Battles of Bongodong and Cheongsanri.

We cultivated capabilities through the national education movement,

and began activities for women’s education and rights.

Workers resisted Japanese exploitation and oppression,

entrepreneurs struggled to build modern enterprises,

and citizens launched a national economic self-reliance movement.

As the self-aware citizens’ efforts for self-reliance continued,

there were as many as 1,651 domestic incursions by armed anti-Japanese independence forces in 1920 alone.

In June of that year, our independence army fought a full-scale battle against the Japanese army’s ‘Crossing Pursuit Unit’

and won a great victory.

This was the ‘Battle of Bongodong’ led by General Hong Beom-do.

The Provisional Government called this the ‘first great victory in the independence war’.

In March 1920, in Vladivostok,

a weapons purchase contract was made between the Northern Military Administration Office of the independence army and the Czech army.

These weapons, transported by a ‘human chain’ of 9,000 people,

became partners in the victory of the ‘Battle of Cheongsanri’ in October.

Armed with modern weapons and systematically trained troops,

and supported by our people with food and clothing,

all were independence fighters and the main actors of victory.

On the 100th anniversary of the Battles of Bongodong and Cheongsanri,

we want to proudly remember the hopeful victory created by the March 1st Independence Movement together with the people.

Respected citizens,

Overseas compatriots,

Today, I bring news that will please the entire nation.

The remains of General Hong Beom-do, a great independence army commander of commoner origin who led the victories at the Battles of Bongodong and Cheongsanri,

can finally be brought back to the country.

Following last year’s repatriation of the remains of independence activists Gye Beom-woo and Hwang Un-jung and their spouses,

we will repatriate and inter General Hong’s remains in the homeland, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Bongodong, coinciding with the visit of the President of Kazakhstan.

We deeply thank the Kazakh government and Kyzylorda provincial government officials who cooperated,

and the Korean diaspora who protected the general until his last moments and cared for his gravesite.

Remembering each independence activist

awakens our own pride and self-esteem.

It is the power to overcome difficulties and open the future.

The government will honor the spirit and will of the independence activists,

and repay them with the highest respect.

The repatriation of General Hong Beom-do’s remains

should remind us of the value of the nation’s existence,

and serve as an opportunity to recall the patriotism of our ancestors.

Citizens,

We have overcome countless difficulties.

Last year, we were able to pursue ‘independence in materials, parts, and equipment’ with the goal of ‘a country no one can shake’

because of the spirit of the March 1st Independence Movement and the strength to overcome national crises.

From the ruins of war, we developed our capabilities through united strength.

Starting from an economy dependent on free aid and loans,

we grew into a powerhouse in advanced manufacturing,

and finally stood tall as a powerhouse in the information and communication industry.

Even now, the entire nation is united.

We can overcome COVID-19 and revive the weakened economy.

We salute the citizens of Asan, Jincheon, Eumseong, and Icheon who warmly welcomed compatriots from Wuhan,

the citizens of Daegu and Gwangju who handed masks to each other,

and the citizens participating in blood donations.

The ‘Good Landlord Movement’ that started in Jeonju Hanok Village and Moraenae Market

is spreading to markets and shopping districts nationwide,

and banks and public institutions are voluntarily lowering rents to share the pain.

Large corporations have donated money and extended a helping hand to small and medium-sized partner companies,

and even now, many doctors and nurses are fighting in isolation wards fully equipped with protective suits.

We send deep respect and gratitude to all who share the pain and nurture hope.

Especially, the ongoing support and warm gestures toward the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions

are the true strength of the Republic of Korea.

More than 250 public health doctors dispatched nationwide, as well as many volunteer medical personnel who gathered voluntarily,

are protecting Daegu and Gyeongbuk, putting their own health aside,

and many companies and individuals are sending donations and relief supplies.

Daegu and Gyeongbuk are never alone.

Together with Daegu City and Gyeongsangbuk-do, the government is making every effort to expand screening clinics and diagnostic tests, secure hospital beds and treatment,

and block further spread.

I believe more citizens will join forces,

and we will definitely achieve results that break the momentum of the virus.

The government has raised the crisis alert to the highest level, ‘serious’,

and is responding comprehensively.

At the same time, recognizing this as an ‘emergency economic situation’,

we are making every effort to revive economic vitality.

We have started customized support by industry for small business owners, SMEs, tourism, dining, aviation, and shipping,

and will promptly implement unprecedented measures in the ‘COVID-19 Overcoming Livelihood and Economic Comprehensive Plan’ to provide stronger damage recovery support, stabilize the livelihood economy, and boost economic vitality.

To this end, we will actively use contingency funds

and promptly prepare and submit supplementary budgets to the National Assembly.

The National Assembly has also agreed to cooperate magnanimously beyond party lines.

All our citizens are ‘the main agents of quarantine’.

There is nothing we cannot achieve if we trust and cooperate with each other.

Internally, we will overcome the immediate challenge of COVID-19,

and externally, we will achieve ‘peace and shared prosperity on the Korean Peninsula’

to create an unshakable Republic of Korea.

That is true independence and the completion of new independence.

The government will take the lead and do its utmost.

Let us once again demonstrate our strength through unity and resilience in crisis.

Citizens,

The world today faces more non-traditional security threats such as disasters, climate change, infectious disease spread,

international terrorism, and cybercrime.

These are problems difficult to solve by a single nation’s capability alone.

Through the international spread of COVID-19,

we have once again deeply felt the necessity of transnational cooperation.

The ‘March 1st Declaration of Independence’ also

emphasizes the spirit of integration through mutual understanding and empathy.

Efforts toward peace and humanitarianism in East Asia

are the spirit of the March 1st Movement and the Provisional Government.

We must strengthen cooperation not only with North Korea but also with neighboring China and Japan,

and nearby Southeast Asian countries to respond to non-traditional security threats.

We also hope for joint cooperation with North Korea in the health sector.

When the North and South respond together to the spread of infectious diseases among humans and livestock,

and jointly address disasters, emergencies, and climate change in border areas and on the Korean Peninsula,

the lives of our people will become safer.

Two years ago, the North and South achieved a historic result with the ‘September 19 Military Agreement’.

By abiding by that agreement and expanding cooperation in various fields,

peace on the Korean Peninsula can be solidified.

Japan is always our closest neighbor.

Although An Jung-geun resisted Japanese aggression with force,

he clearly stated that his intention was not hostility toward Japan,

but to achieve peace in East Asia together.

The spirit of the March 1st Independence Movement was the same.

We must face the past to overcome wounds and move forward.

We will not forget the past,

but we will not remain in the past.

We hope Japan will also adopt such an attitude.

Using history as a mirror and joining hands together

is the path to peace and prosperity in East Asia.

Let us overcome the crisis together and strive for a future-oriented cooperative relationship.

Respected citizens,

Overseas compatriots,

Whenever we face national crises and disasters,

we have revived the ‘spirit of the March 1st Independence Movement’.

With united strength, we overcame war and poverty,

and achieved economic growth and democracy.

COVID-19 may temporarily threaten our lives,

but it cannot break our unity and hope.

The spirit of the March 1st Independence Movement, which pierced through oppression and revived with hope,

has been the power that opened a new era for us over the past 100 years,

and we will surely overcome COVID-19

and revitalize our economy even more vigorously.

We are courage and hope to each other.

Let us all trust and encourage each other and overcome today.

Let us stride forward vigorously on the journey of the new 100 years.

Thank you.