Sam-il

 

Sam-il denotes the historical date of the independence movement of Korea. It is named for Sam Il Undong, the liberation movement "first March" that began on March 1, 1919 when people all over Korea went on the roads and demonstrated for peace, liberty, and justice. This force-free rebellion was brutally struck down by the Japanese with about 7000 deaths.

The inspiration for the Samil Movement came from the repressive nature of Japanese policies under its military administration of Korea following 1905, and the "Fourteen Points" outlining the right of national "self-determination" proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference in January 1919. After hearing news of Wilson’s speech, Korean students studying in Tokyo published a statement demanding Korean independence.