Documents Published on October 31, 1919
Containing Calls to Launch Protests Like the March 1st Movement
"Important Materials Showing the Patterns of Independence Movement"
Materials created to commemorate the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea will become registered national cultural heritage.
The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 17th that the "Congratulatory Message and Declaration on the Establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea," housed at the Soongsil University Korean Christian Museum, will be registered as national registered cultural heritage. Opinions from various sectors will be collected for one month, and the registration decision will be made after review by the Cultural Heritage Committee.
These documents were issued on October 31, 1919, when the March 1st Independence Movement had stirred the entire nation. They were created to commemorate the launch of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, which was formed by integrating the domestic "Hanseong Government," the Maritime Province's "Great Korean People's Assembly," and others with the provisional government established in Shanghai, China, in April of that year. The announcement was made to coincide with the birthday of Emperor Taisho on October 31.
The congratulatory message, bearing the names of thirty "representatives of the Korean people" including Kim Gu and Park Eun-sik, begins with the phrase, "Having escaped ten years of slavery, today we have once again become the independent people of Korea." It emphasizes, "Our people are no longer slaves to foreign nations, nor slaves to a corrupt autocratic government, but free citizens of an independent democratic country." It also includes a congratulatory song with lyrics calling for cheers of "Manse" (long live).
The declaration calls for the resumption of nationwide protest movements like the March 1st Movement. It urges independence demonstrations by stating, "Once again, with peaceful cries of Manse, we declare before Japan and the nations of the world that we are an independent country of the Republic of Korea and free citizens of the Republic of Korea."
"Our people are citizens of the Republic of Korea, and those who govern our people are the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea; our people shall never again be ruled by Japan."
The existence of the two documents became known when Professor Kim Yang-seon (1907?1970) of Soongsil University, also known by his pen name Maesan (梅山), donated them to the university. They are the only surviving materials in the form of original leaflets. Professor Kim was a Presbyterian pastor and archaeologist who graduated from Pyongyang Soongsil University. The Korean Christian Museum he established and operated later became the foundation for the launch of Soongsil University's affiliated museum.
The Cultural Heritage Administration evaluated, "These are important materials that show the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea after the March 1st Movement and the state of the independence movement at that time," and stated, "They are fully worthy of preservation as registered national cultural heritage."
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