Historic Movement

[Anchor Lead]

There was a similar yet lesser-known anti-Japanese movement right after the March 1st uprising in Seoul. It was started by elementary school students in Incheon and efforts to shed light on this important historical event are now underway.

[Pkg]

A monument commemorating the centennial of the March 1st Movement is being erected at an elementary school in Incheon. Preparation is in full swing ahead of the March 1st centennial celebration slated to be held here on the first of next month. Opened in 1907, this school was the cradle of Incheon's first anti-Japanese uprising held on March 6th, 1919, just five days after the historic March 1st event. Four third-graders led other students to take joint leave from school for four days to distribute the Korean Declaration of Independence to citizens and engage in other resistance activities. The students even severed the phone line of the principal's office to prevent him from reporting their activities to Japanese police.

[Soundbite] Jang Sun-hui(Pres. Changyeong Elementary School Alumni Assn.) : "They stood out because they took part in the uprising, claiming that they couldn't just stand idly by in this dismal era."

Because of their involvement, two students were imprisoned and two others were sentenced to 90 floggings each.

[Soundbite] Lee Yeong-ran(Granddaughter of Sohn Chang-sin(One of 4 student leaders)) : "He was too young to get flogged, so others petitioned for him. So, he was in prison for four months before he was found innocent."

The city of Incheon used to hold the March 1st ceremony at the Incheon Culture and Art Center every year. But for 2019, the city chose this place for the centennial celebration to publicize the school's historical importance.

[Soundbite] Heo In-hwan(Dong-gu Mayor, Incheon) : "The centennial ceremony will be held here because it's the historic cradle of the independence movement in Incheon."

Dong-gu District of Incheon plans to keep promoting the significance of Incheon's resistance movement against the Japanese colonial regime by building a March 1st Movement park near Changyeong Elementary School by 2020.