[One Thousand Characters a Day] Reading the March 1st Independence Declaration Easily and Correctly <2>

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.
The 'March 1st Independence Declaration' reflects modern ideas such as freedom, equality, and human rights, along with an internationalist perspective that Korea's independence will contribute to peace in East Asia and the happiness of humanity worldwide. In particular, while advocating nonviolence, it emphasizes the determination to proclaim the nation's will for independence until the last person and the last moment. Following the previous day, we introduce the annotated version published 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: 1019 characters.

We do not blame Japan simply because it failed to keep various promises after the 1876 Treaty of Ganghwa, nor do we say we cannot trust Japan. We will not fault Japan’s lack of loyalty because Japanese scholars and politicians seized our land, treated our culture and people as barbarians, and disregarded the noble spirit of our long-standing society and nation.

We have no time to blame others when we are busy whipping ourselves. We are so pressed to correct current mistakes that we have no leisure to debate past right and wrong. What we must do now is to set ourselves straight, not to destroy others. We must create our new destiny as conscience commands, never driven by old grudges or momentary jealousy to chase others away. We simply aim to rectify the unreasonable reality sacrificed by Japanese politicians trapped in old ideas and powers, driven by vanity, and to restore a natural and just world.

Look at the results created by the forced annexation of Joseon and Japan, which our people never desired from the start. Japan’s oppression of us and the inequality and false statistics fabricated through ethnic discrimination have bred irreconcilable resentment between two peoples with different understandings. Isn’t it clear that boldly correcting long-standing wrongs and opening a new world of friendship based on true understanding and empathy is the surest way to avoid mutual disaster and achieve happiness?

Moreover, suppressing the twenty million Joseon people, filled with indignation and resentment, by force is not the path to guaranteeing peace in the East. This will only make the four hundred million Chinese, who are central to judging the safety and crisis of the East, fear and hate Japan even more, inevitably leading to a tragedy that destroys the entire East. Today, the independence of Joseon means enabling the Joseon people to achieve rightful prosperity, while also allowing Japan to escape its wrong path and fulfill its responsibilities toward the East. It also frees China from anxiety and fear of losing land to Japan, laying the foundation for Eastern peace, which is an important part of world peace and human happiness. How can Joseon’s independence be a trivial matter of emotion?

(To be continued)