Opinion

In 1919, the Korean people launched the March First Popular Uprising to get back their national sovereignty taken away by the Japanese imperialists.

After its military occupation (1905-1945) of Korea, the Japanese invaders ruled the Koreans with the rod of iron, arguing that “Koreans must obey the Japanese law or die”.

The pent-up grudge and wrath of the Koreans against their heinous colonial rule exploded as the nationwide anti-Japanese uprising on March 1 1919.

The turnout at the demonstration which started in Pyongyang increased up to over 100 000.

The flame of the anti-Japanese demonstration spread all across Korea and among overseas compatriots and thus it developed into a nationwide resistance. The enraged masses fought against the imperialists, shouting, “Long live the independence of Korea!” and “Japanese and Japanese troops, go home!” 

Taken aback by this, the Japanese imperialists hatched a plot to mercilessly oppress the struggle of the Korean people by force of arms in a cabinet meeting and gave the government-general in Korea a murderous order and even dispatched huge repressive forces in their country to Korea while mobilizing their troops stationed in Korea.

At every place where the demonstration was staged, the Japanese aggressor troops, military police and police indiscriminately fired at the bare-handed demonstrators.

The aggressors fired even at children as well as adults and committed brutal atrocities. They forced arrested demonstrators to kneel down to beat them with metal bars and hooks at their heads, stabbed them in the whole body and cut their bodies in two. Especially, they perpetrated all sorts of savageries and insults to women.

The Japanese imperialists’ savage suppression entailed the death of over 100 000 Koreans with more than 587 640 arrested.

Over a century has passed since then, but the Korean people still cannot forget the criminal past of Japan.

The crime-ridden history can neither be removed nor be buried into oblivion even with the passage of time.

The Japanese authorities are advised to honestly reflect on their past crimes committed against the Korean people.