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Busan to Hold Commemorative Ceremony for the 107th Anniversary of the March 1st Movement

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Park Heong-joon, announced that it will hold the “Commemorative Ceremony for the 107th Anniversary of the March 1st Movement” at 10:00 a.m. on March 1 at the Grand Theater of Busan Citizens Hall.

Prior to the ceremony, at 9:00 a.m., Mayor Park and approximately 20 heads of major institutions will visit the Memorial Shrine at the Independence Hall to pay tribute to the patriotic martyrs.

The commemorative ceremony will be attended by around 1,300 people, including Mayor Park, heads of major institutions, bereaved families of independence patriots, veterans’ organizations, civic groups, and citizens.

The event will proceed in the following order: National Ceremony; screening of a commemorative video; reading of the Declaration of Independence by students of Dongnae Girls’ High School, which carries on the legacy of Busanjin Ilshin Girls’ School, together with Baek Gi-hwan, Head of the Busan Branch of the Liberation Association; presentation of government awards; commemorative address by Mayor Park Heong-joon; a commemorative performance by the Busan Metropolitan City Art Troupe; singing of the March 1st Movement song; and three cheers of “Long live Korea.”

This year’s commemorative performance will feature the Busan Metropolitan City Art Troupe’s original multidisciplinary production, “1919, That Sky, That Drumbeat,” which reinterprets the historical significance of the March 1st Independence Movement as it unfolded in the Busan region—including the Gupo Market Manse Movement—through a fusion of dance and traditional Korean music. The performance vividly portrays the dynamism of the independence demonstrations in Busan and reflects on the meaning of the March 1st Movement.

As part of the government awards, the Presidential Commendation will be posthumously conferred upon the late Jeong Taek-jeon, who contributed to the independence movement. In March 1933, while a third-year student at Kyungsung Second Public High School in Seoul, he participated in a student-led strike in defiance of Japanese colonial rule and was subsequently expelled.

The commendation will be presented to his child, Jeong Se-ri.

Meanwhile, in observance of the March 1st Movement anniversary, the city and its districts will carry out the “Let’s Fly the Taegeukgi Together” campaign to honor the noble achievements of the forebears who upheld the banner of national dignity to restore sovereignty and to promote national unity and patriotism by inheriting and developing the spirit of the March 1st Independence Movement.

For three days, from today (the 27th) through March 1, the national flag will be displayed throughout Busan, including on public institution websites, along major arterial roads, and on public transportation, to commemorate the spirit of the March 1st Independence Movement.

On this day, Mayor Park Heong-joon will express his deepest respect for the patriotic martyrs who devoted themselves to the nation’s independence. In his commemorative address, he will state, “The March 1st Movement was not merely an anti-Japanese protest of a particular era, but a historic awakening that declared the people to be the rightful owners of the nation and marked a grand beginning toward a free democratic republic.”

He will continue, “Today, more than a century later, we stand before a great wave of transformation. In this era of rapid change, just as the people rose in the independence demonstrations 100 years ago, we must now undertake a great transformation to fundamentally reform the nation. The path forward lies in innovative and balanced development.”

He is also expected to add, “Busan will further strengthen its efforts to carry on the spirit of the March 1st Movement by establishing more substantial policies of respect and support, so that descendants of independence patriots may take even greater pride in their forebears and the entire nation may hold them in even higher esteem.”