In 1910, Japan invaded Korea. Since Korea was in vulnerable condition at that time, Korea became a colony of Japan as it has no power to reject Japan’s pressure. Many people were tortured and died by cruel Japanese colonial government. During that period, Korean people made endless efforts to retrieve their own country and sovereign power. The 1919 Independence Movement was a sort of those efforts.
In 1919, some educated people were influenced by the idea of Self-determination which was suggested by the U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. (Self-determination means that a country should be able to determine its own fate.). In those days, King of Korea Gojong was dead, and many Korean believed that the king’s death was an intentional murder by Japan. These thoughts made many Korean angry more and more. And naturally, highly stimulated people started to resist against Japan. These people were strongly prepared for death.Starting with the declaration of Independence which was declared by 33 ethnic leaders, not only students, but also many patriots joined in the independence movement against Japanese imperialism. It caused huge amount of human death, but Korean undauntedly moved forward. This movement rapidly developed into a nationwide movement.
Among the people, there was a girl Kwan-soon Yoo who sacrificed her life for her country. Despite she was just a young and weak girl, she stand at the head of movement and cried for the independence. During the days, she lost her house, parents, brother, everything, but she did not give up. Eventually, she was arrested and killed brutally by Japan, but her patriotic spirit is still remained in our mind. Modern people evaluate this movement as a valuable resistance against strong nation’s unfair pressure. Although Korea could not retrieve its national sovereignty right away with the 1919 Independence Movement, this movement and the honorable sacrifices of people like Kwan-soon Yoo became the foundation of the independence of Korea.
I think below video clip can help your understanding more.
