[One Thousand Characters a Day] Reading the March 1st Independence Declaration Easily and Correctly <1>

Editor's NoteAsia Economy provides daily 1,000-character transcription content for readers of the 'One Day Ten Thousand Steps, One Day One Thousand Characters' newsletter. The transcription content is carefully selected according to daily and monthly themes from Eastern and Western classics, Korean literature, notable columns, and famous speeches. Ahead of the '104th Anniversary of Samiljeol (March 1st Movement),' we introduce the full text of the 'March 1st Independence Declaration,' drafted by Choe Nam-seon in 1919 and completed after review and signatures by 33 national representatives, in three installments. The March 1st Independence Declaration was printed in 21,000 to 35,000 copies on February 27 at Boseongsa, a printing house of the Cheondogyo religion, distributed nationwide by religious leaders on February 28, and immediately read aloud during the March 1st demonstrations held in seven cities. Subsequently, hundreds to thousands of copies were printed at schools and churches equipped with printing machines and distributed at the daily demonstrations held across the country. Although the March 1st Independence Declaration remains intact over 100 years later, it mixes Hangul and Hanja and contains words no longer used today, making it difficult to fully understand its meaning. Therefore, we present the annotated version published in March 2019 by the Presidential Committee for the 100th Anniversary of the March 1st Movement and the Establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. Character count: 879.

3.1 Independence Declaration (Photo by the Presidential Committee for the 100th Anniversary of the March 1st Movement and the Establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea)

We hereby declare that Joseon is an independent nation and that the Joseon people are the masters of this country. We will inform all nations of the world of this to clearly affirm the great principle that all humanity is equal, and ensure that our descendants forever enjoy the rightful authority to live as a self-determining nation.

This declaration is made by the strength of our history spanning five thousand years and the sincerity of twenty million people. It is our desire for our nation to develop freely and eternally, and to keep pace with the great current of global change shaped by humanity’s conscience. This is the will of heaven, the flow of the times, and arises from the rightful rights for all humanity to live together. Nothing in this world can obstruct our independence.

It has been ten years since our nation suffered the pain of being oppressed by another people for the first time in thousands of years of history, sacrificed to the relics of an old era?imperialism and authoritarianism. The pain of having our right to self-determination taken away is immeasurable, and how great is the sorrow of having our opportunity to develop our spirit blocked. How deep is the wound to the dignity of our nation, and how much have we lost the chance to contribute to world culture with new technology and originality.

Ah, to shake off the accumulated grievances and cast off the current suffering, to eliminate the threats that lie ahead and restore the suppressed conscience of our nation and the lost justice of our country, to allow each person to develop their character and give our poor children complete happiness instead of painful legacies, the most urgent task for us is to firmly establish national independence.

Today, we twenty million Joseon people each hold a sword in our hearts. The conscience of all humanity and the times stand as the army of justice and the shield of humanity to protect us. Therefore, if we advance and fight, we can defeat any strong enemy, and even if we retreat, if we strive, we can realize any purpose.

(To be continued)