Yeongdeungpo-gu Commemorates March 1st with Relay Reading of the Declaration of Independence

Produced relay reading video of the Declaration of Independence with 33 district residents... District mayor, descendants of independence activists, and Yeongdeungpo Branch President of the Liberation Association participated... Filmed at historical sites in the area such as Yeongdeungpo Station March 1st Movement Monument and Yeouido Park... Online communication session held to share impressions with cast... Live broadcast on YouTube at 9 AM on March 1st

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The cry of “Daehan Doknip Manse” (Long live Korean independence) that filled the nation 102 years ago now echoes online as well.

Yeongdeungpo District (Mayor Chae Hyun-il) announced that to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the March 1st Movement, 33 residents will produce and broadcast a video relay reading of the Korean Declaration of Independence.

The district explained that due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 causing fatigue and hardship, they hoped to overcome the current situation together with the spirit of the independence movement. Despite restrictions on outdoor activities, they planned this non-face-to-face event to reflect on the historical significance of the Manse movement and the emotions of that day.

The video, approximately 10 minutes long, begins with Yeongdeungpo Mayor Chae Hyun-il and features a total of 33 participants, including descendants of independence activists and residents, each reading a portion of the Declaration of Independence. The video concludes with all participants shouting “Daehan Doknip Manse” together.

The readers include descendants of independence activists residing or working in Yeongdeungpo, the head of the Liberation Association branch, residents, children and youth, police officers, firefighters, and hospital staff, representing various ages and professions, sharing their talents to add meaning.

Additionally, the video uses a revised Korean edition of the “Easy and Correct Reading of the March 1st Movement Declaration of Independence” written in modern language, providing explanations tailored to the perspective of current residents to aid understanding and empathy, and reexamining the values and spirit of the anti-Japanese independence movement from a contemporary viewpoint.

Mayor Chae Hyun-il read the opening part of the declaration in Yeongdeungpo’s studio “Tium,” with the Taegukgi flag from Jingwansa Temple, known to have been used at the 1919 independence movement site, and the Taegukgi of the Legislative Assembly of the Shanghai Provisional Government in the background.

Following this, Na Young-eui, a descendant of independence activists residing in Yeongdeungpo, continued the relay reading in front of the March 1st Independence Movement monument located at Yeongdeungpo Station plaza, and Jeong Dong-ung, head of the Yeongdeungpo branch of the Liberation Association, read in front of the Yeouido C47 transport plane.

The Independence Movement monument in front of Yeongdeungpo Station, designated as a memorial facility on May 8, 2020, was erected to commemorate the Manse movement that took place on March 23, 1919, in Yeongdeungpo-ri, Yeongdeungpo-myeon.

Yeouido Park and the C47 transport plane hold deep historical significance as the site where the Liberation Army landed in Yeouido Park, then the Gyeongseong Airfield, after liberation.

The residents who participated in the reading filmed in their own living spaces and workplaces, creating lively scenes with various backgrounds.

The reading video can be viewed on Yeongdeungpo District’s official YouTube channel, “Studio Tium.”

Furthermore, on March 1, Mayor Chae Hyun-il, Jeong Dong-ung of the Liberation Association Yeongdeungpo branch, and independence activist descendant Na Young-eui will meet at Studio Tium, and eight residents who participated in the reading performance will join via a non-face-to-face video program to share their thoughts on the filming experience and personal reflections on the March 1st Movement in a communication session.

Mayor Chae Hyun-il said, “I sincerely thank all the performers and staff who participated and cooperated in the March 1st reading performance,” adding, “We will emulate the passion and patriotism of our ancestors who resisted Japanese colonial rule and continued the independence movement, and overcome the COVID-19 crisis together with the 380,000 residents of Yeongdeungpo with one heart and one mind.”