Gwangju Student Independence Movement Memorial Hall

Around the time of the Meiji Restoration in the 1860s, Japan went on a path of rapid modernization, and with the need for a new market and supply point of materials due to its reception of capitalism, it established plans to invade Korea. Thus, in 1875 Japan prompted the Unyangho incident militarily forcing Korea to open up its nation, and signed the 1876 ‘Korea-Japan Defense Treaty’ to create a foothold for its invasion of Korea.
After sparking and winning the Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese War, Japan received international recognition in its politics, military and economy in Korea. Thus, in 1904, it signed the ‘Korea-Japan Protocol’, the ‘Eulsa Treaty’ in 1905, and then established the Residency General in 1906, and started its de facto rule over Korea. Afterwards, using the Hague secret envoy incident of 1907 as an excuse, Japan relinquished the imperial authority of Gojong and forced the ‘Jeongmi 7 Point Treaty’ to break up the Korea army and then began to exercise overall rule in legislation, jurisdiction and administration. As the last phase, it signed the Annexation Treaty on August 22, 1910, and through this, Korea lost its sovereignty, and Japan began its colonial rule over Korea through its Chosen Government General.

Overview of the Fall of the Greater Korean Empire

1897	Gojong proclaims the Greater Korean Empire
1904	Through the Korea-Japan Protocol during the Russo-Japanese War, Japan begins intervention in Korea’s domestic issues
1905	Loses diplomatic rights through the Eulsa Treaty
1907	Hague special envoy incident causes Gojong to be dethroned and to ascend Sunjong Through the Jeongmi 7 Point Treaty, administrative and jurisdiction rights were taken away and military was broken up After break up of army, Loyal Troops War begin
1910	Loses national sovereignty

Japan’s colonial economic policy was pursued in the direction of recomposing the Korean economic structure suitable for exploitation. One core aspect was the ‘land survey project’ in the agricultural sector, in which the Japanese Empire legally recognized ownership of land by Japanese that illegally plundered, and transferred a massive amount of the land including about 40% of all agricultural land to its government in order to accelerate the plundering of land by Japanese capital.
It also conducted the forest survey project transferring 60% of all forest land to the government, and in the agricultural policy sector, it focused on exploiting the cheap rice and industrial materials of Korea. In addition, they regulated finances and suppressed the growth of Korean companies. Thus, Korean capitalists were stopped short as petty business owners, and farmers were stripped of the land that they received from their ancestors and were demoted to poor farmers, tenant farmers, or slash and burn farmers, and some moved to other countries such as Manchuria.

The goal of the Japanese educational policy was to eternally destroy Korea and make Koreans second-class citizens of Japan. Thus, higher education was limited to Koreans and education focused only on elementary knowledge and the Japanese education. It attempted to blind the people of their national spirit and will for independence, and promoted technical and vocational education so that they would only have minimal knowledge and skills.
However, the few private schools, religious schools, reformed seodang (village schools), training centers and night schools greatly contributed in elevating the national spirit. Also, many patriots worked hard to protect the traditional Korean culture, and studies and education on Korean language and Korean history was conducted in order to awaken the awareness of national tradition and a sense of national identity. This educational ordinance focused on vocational education and deleted teacher training, which proves the Japanese intent to make Koreans their colonial slaves.

Koreans received severe discrimination in terms of educational opportunities compared to Japanese, and this discrimination worsened at more advanced educational institutes such as technical schools and universities.

This is a history textbook during the Japanese Occupation written based on the ‘Hwangguk-sagwan’, and it describes the history of Japan and Korea focusing on Japanese history.

This is a geography textbook during the Japanese Occupation that stated that Korea was a province of Japan.
View of Hwangguk-shinmin (subjects of the Japanese Empire) Education by a Teacher in Uniform Japan attempted to make Koreans into loyal and simple Hwangguk-shinmin.

Japan prohibited the use of Korean in writing and speech and forced the use of Japanese.

The independence of the Korean people fell in front of Japan’s guns and swords, but independence movements to regain their nation did not stop. Independence movement activists who sought refuge in other nations due to the oppression of Japan erected independence movement bases overseas and organized independence fighters engaging in frequent combat with the Japanese military. Patriots that remained in Korea linked up together with overseas forces or organized secret organizations to continue their resistance against the Japanese. Farmers and labors also fought against the Japanese through walkouts and strikes in order to protect their right to life.

On February 8, 1919, Korean students studying in Tokyo Japan announced a declaration of independence, denouncing Japan’s invasion and declaring that they will fight to their last man for independence. The February 8 Declaration of Independence had a direct effect on the March 1 Movement.

The entire nation rose up on March 1, 1919 and participated in anti-Japanese resistance to show the will of the Korean people for independence. The March 1 Movement changed the suppressive politics of Japan in Korea while having an influence on freedom movements of suppressed nations of Asia such as China and India.

On June 10, 1926, the day of the funeral of Sunjong, the last king of the Joseon Dynasty, manifestos were sprayed across Jongno of Seoul and manse rallies were held. This was carefully prepared in advance by students and socialists, and it developed into a nationwide anti-Japanese movement.

On August 9, 1910, Imperial Japan announced the Annexation Treat of Korea and hung the Japanese flag on Geunjeongjeon at Gyeongbokgung Palace to symbolize their seizure of Korean sovereignty.

The center is Gojong and Sunjong is on his right. To the left of Gojong is Youngchinwang, and next to him is Governor General Terauchi.

After the June 10 Manse Movement, the nation’s first national party, Shinganhoe, was established joined by non-negotiating nationalist forces and socialist forces. The Shinganhoe quickly gained in ranks and by early 1929, it had 144 regional offices, and its members number 39,000. Meanwhile, in May 1927, the sister organization of Shinganhoe, the Geunwoohoe, was established. It had 64 regional branches and it led women movements in their respect regions. The Shinganhoe held legal speeches in different regions to tell the public of the essence of colonial rule, while explaining the need for national independence. It also led laborers, farmers and youth movements in different areas to support labor walkouts and sharecropper strikes throughout the nation. It also contributed in the development of the Gwangju Student Independence Movement into becoming a national anti-Japanese movement. Despite these efforts, the Shinganhoe was broken up in May 1931 due to Japan’s crackdowns and disputes between its left and ri ght parties.

President of Joseon-ilbo, Lee Sang-jae, was elected as its first chairman (Joseon-ilbo Feb 27, 1927)

The Shinganhoe Gwangju Branch was established in October 1927. Jang Seok-cheon, Kang Seok-won and Kuk Chae-jin, who played key roles in effectively leading and extending the Gwangju Student Independence Movement into a national movement, were members of the Shinganhoe Gwangju branch, and Jang Seok-cheon and Kuk Chae-jin were secretaries of this.

Students during the Japanese Occupation were relatively leading intellectuals, and because they could be organized more easily than laborers and farmers, they were always on the forefront of the national movements. Therefore, the 3 main national movements during the Japanese Occupation - March 1 Movement, June 10 Manse Movement, and the Gwangju Student Independence Movement - were all led by students. The pure and passionate students were sensitive and critical of the colonial discriminatory education, and while experiencing socio-economic impoverishment, they became aware of the hypocrisy of Japanese colonial rule. Hence, in order to overcome educational discrimination and the hypocrisies of colonial rule, and furthermore, in order to free the nation, they asserted themselves in anti-Japanese struggles by organizing the Dokseohoe, a secret organization, leaving schools, and enlightenment movements with other student organizations.
The Anti-Japanese Walkout which became the prelude to the Gwangju Student Independence Movement
The struggle to take leave from schools, which stirred up from the 1920s, was a form of anti-Japanese independence movements that the students engaged in. Walkouts were common in almost all schools throughout the nation, and behind its shadows were always the leadership of secret organizations. In the Gwangju area, leave from schools were active from 1924 at Gwangju Normal High School, Gwangju Agricultural School, and Gwangju Education School, and its capacities for resistance against Japan was developed here.

Another change of student movements that appeared in the late 1920s was the rise of secret organizations. With crackdowns on student organizations became more severe due to the Public Order Maintenance Act and the June 10 Manse Movement, students began to stage walkouts and at the same time, it began to group in secret organizations with the purpose of more forceful and long-term resistance. Student secret organizations were organized nationwide in two forms. One was the dokseohoe that was made up of each school, and the other was the secret organization of the entire region based on the dokseohoe.
Student organizations, including the secret organizations, were organized in school and regional rather than being focused on Seoul due its close relationship with the walkouts. Due to the realistic need to stage walkouts in school units, school or regional units were more effective.

Representative Student Movements in the mid and late 1920s

Open Organizations	Joseon Social Science Research Association (Seoul)
Secret Organizations	Student Yache-ika (Seoul) Joseon Student Revolution Party (Seoul, founded in March 1927) Joseon Student Chonwi Alliance (Seoul, named in October 1927) Shinwoo Alliance (Daegu, founded in November 1927/disbanded in late 1929) Seongjinhoe (Gwangju, founded in November 1926)

Of these, the Seongjinhoe and Dokseoheo, which were secret organizations in the Gwangju area, led the student movements in Gwangju, and played a key role in expanding the Gwangju Student Independence Movement.

Seongjinhoe was a secret organization made up of students from the Gwangju Normal High School and Gwangju Agricultural School. On November 3, 1926, Wang Jae-il and Jang Jae-seong of Gwangju Normal High School and Park In-seng of Gwangju Agricultural School got together and agreed on the need for an organization to oppose colonial education and to establish an identity, and thus founded the Seongjinhoe.
The members agreed to secretly unite for the independence of Korea, and they developed their national spirit while research social sciences and discussing practical methods for gaining independence. Seongjinhoe was, on the surface, disbanded in just five months in March 1927 due to worries that there secrets may be leaked. However, though general assemblies were not held, it continued in the form of activities by each school.

This was the Dokseohoe of Gwangju Girls’ Normal High School and was founded in early November of 1928. Members gathered at a mountain behind Gwangju Education School to organize the Sonyeohoe, and agreed to research social sciences once a month. Members include Jang Mae-seong, the older sister of Jang Jae-seong, as well as Park Ok-ryeon, Goh Sun-ryeh, Jang Gyeong-ryeh, Amseong Geum-ja, Nam Hyeob-hyeob, Park Gye-nam, Park Chae-hee, Park Hyun-sook, Kim Geum-yeon and Kim Gwi-seon.

In mid June 1929, Jang Jae-seon who was studying abroad at Tokyo Central University, gave up his studies and returned to Gwangju to find the Central Dokseohoe at the home of Kim Gi-gwon in Yangnam-ri together with students from Gwangju Normal High School, Gwangju Agricultural High School, and Gwangju Educational School. Accordingly, a Dokseohoe was organized for each school and engaged in researching national culture and social sciences, while heightening the national spirit. The Dokseohoe developed into an organization that commanded and led the students, and this became the strong basis for spreading the Gwangju Student Independence Movement.