Diplomatic Independence Movement
Independence activists intended to send a delegation to every international conference. They submitted petitions hoping that the Korean issue would be presented there. In order to have the international community recognize Korea's independence and freedom, diplomatic and communication activities continued with representatives and journalists from different countries.
The Korean Delegation of the Washington Conference
1921.
The Washington Conference was held from November 1921 to February 1922 to discuss pending issues in the Asia-Pacific region. The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea formed a Korean delegation led by Syngman Rhee. An American named F. A. Dolph and others assisted the delegation as advisors. One of the ways the delegation worked to bring awareness to the conference of Korea’s situation was to submit petitions.
The Claim of the Korean People and Nation to the Paris Peace Conference
1919. 4.
This is a memorandum written by Kim Gyu-sik(1881~1950), who was dispatched as the Korean representative to the Paris Peace Conference in April 1919 and further specifies the petition for independence sent to each government delegation. It reveals the claim that Koreans had lived as an independent country for 4,200 years and accuses Imperial Japan of trying to erase that reality.
Hangeul Korean-Language Movement
During the Japanese colonial period, Hangeul(Korean alphabet) scholars set up academic organizations to study and safeguard the Korean written and spoken language as testaments to the spirit of the nation. From 1929, the Korean Language Society led the efforts to compile a Korean dictionary in earnest. This project continued for 13 years until October 1942, when Imperial Japan detained its members to exterminate the Korean national culture and spirit.
Commemorative Photo of Members of the Korean Language Society’s Standard Language Assessment Committee
1935.
The Korean Language Society sought to set language standards in the dictionary it was compiling to reduce the inability for different regions to communicate with each other. More than 70 people, including representatives from Seoul and each province, participated in the Standard Language Assessment Committee and chose which words would be considered standard Korean when there were potentially dozens of different words with the same meaning.
Manuscript of the Comprehensive Korean Larguage Dictionary
Korea National Treasure No. 2086
This is a proofread and transcribed manuscript of 26,500 sheets for which the Korean Language Society collected and arranged Hangeul data from across the country for the 13 years between 1929 and 1942 in their efforts to publish a Korean language dictionary. It was seized in 1942 and thought to have been lost when Imperial Japan arrested and locked up the members of the Korean Language Society. However, in a bit of good fortune, this manuscript was discovered in a warehouse at Seoul Station in September 1945, shortly after the country was liberated. Publication of the dictionary began in 1947 and a six-volume edition was completed in 1957.
Press Movement
After the forced annexation of Korea in 1910, Imperial Japan strictly controlled the press to make colonial rule run smoother, but in 1920 allowed Koreans to publish newspapers in response to the 1919 March First Movement. Journalists wrote articles critical of Imperial Japan and published them, and in response, Imperial Japan regularly censored these papers, sometimes confiscating them or suspending publication. In August 1940, publication of all newspapers by Koreans was banned.
Newspaper Article That Showed the Japanese National Flag Removed from a Photo of the Shirt on Sohn Kee-chung
1936. 8. 25. | The Dong-A Ilbo
During the 11th Olympiade Berlin 1936, held in August, Sohn Kee-chung had to have the Japanese flag emblazoned on his shirt while competing in the marathon event. He won gold at the event, and Korean newspapers that covered the medal ceremony erased the Japanese flag on his uniform in the pictures they published. Due to the so-called “Japanese Flag Expungement Incident,” The Dong-A Ilbo was suspended indefinitely and the Chosun Joongang Daily was eventually closed.
Hangeul Wonbon Studying Material
1930. | State-Designated Heritage
This textbook was created by the Chosun Ilbo newspaper for use in its literacy campaign and teaches the rules of Hangeul spelling. The media companies made and distributed learning materials to teach people who could not read Hangul as part of the rural enlightenment movement. Students and intellectuals were dispatched across the country to teach with these textbooks.
Anti-Japanese Art Movement
During the Japanese colonial period, various cultural and artistic works were produced, representing a resistance using art rather than military arms to fight Imperial Japan’s colonial rule and oppression. Koreans composed national anthems and independence army songs with lyrics about their desire for independence. Also produced were films and plays about the reality of the darkness of the times and the spirit of the Korean resistance to encourage audiences.
Arirang Film Poster
1926.
This is a black-and-white silent film released in October 1926, written, directed and starred in by Na Un-gyu(1902~1937), who once fought as an independence army soldier. The protagonist in the story goes insane from torture by the Japanese during the March First Movement, but returns to his senses after killing a vicious landowner. In the end, he is arrested and dragged over Arirang Pass. It is said that audiences deeply sympathized with the protagonist, who symbolized Koreans deprived of their nation, and cried and sang the song “Arirang,” from the movie together.
The Music Book of Patriotic Songs
(Aegukchangga akbojip)
1916. | State-Designated Heritage
This is a collection of music published in Honolulu, Hawaii. It includes some 70 songs with scores about the Korean desire for independence, patriotism, and resistance to Imperial Japan. It is the oldest extant collection of patriotic songs with music scores that has so far been discovered.
