Evening star., 1949-02-27

Tile dlI, dIlQ eAClCcIIIcllG. WHICH, W"
Bright Moon Restaurant-they /
decade-there was a sudden quiet.
People made room for them. But
it was politeness. not humility, be-
cause on this day they felt incom-
parably stronger than their for
eign oppressors.
They whispered to each other
that their last Emperor did not die
natural death. The Japanese
had wanted him to sign a docu-
ment stating Korea's happy state
of affairs under the trusteeship-
to be used at the peace conference
in Paris. The Emperor had re-
fused and the result had been:
Poison in his rice.
The Proclamation
Incensed by his martyrdom and
years of oppression and fired by
President Wilson's promise of self
determination, revolutionary lead
ers had planned great demon
stration designed to stir the world
and to remind it that a people
with 1000 years of common history
claimed a rightful place among
the independent nations. 1nstruc-
tions. hidden in the sleeves OF
garments. had been smuggleo
from village to village. The Japa-
nese felt that something was afoot
but knew no details and yet TO-
100000 people were in the secret
At two o'clock young man
mounted a pavilion In Pagoda
Park and. holding up a paper. read
In a ringing voice.
with this we declare our Korea
an independent nation, and Kore-
ans a free people and SO
reveal the great truth of the
equality of man .. We shall
not Judge Japan's treachery !"
We are too eager to search out
our own faults for that. We have
no time for blaming others. Our
concern is to mend the present
:. A new heaven and new
earth stretch out before us. The
age of force and arms is gone
the age of right and justice has
come. We, contemporaries
with the new destiny of man, dc
not hesitate and do not fear. II
is for us to regain the freedom
that was ours, to enjoy, all the
happiness of life. to manifest ou1
own creative genius -. We here
rise bravely = =. Beginning is
succeeding; only go forward in the
light that lies ahead -. In the
4.252d year of the Korean King
dom in March. Signed by 33 rep.
resentatives of Korea!"
Jap Vengeance Quick
After the man on the platform
had read the 33 names, he raised
his arm and cheered: May Korea
live 10000 years! MANSEI! The
cry was taken up by the throng
in the park. spread out into the
streets. It reverberated from one
city gate to the other. And at
the same time, in hundreds OF
village squares all over the coun-
try, the same declaration was
read. A storm Of joy, Of excite
ment, shook the crowds.
japanese vengeance was quick
and terrible. The crowd was set
upon with swords and bayonets
Thousands were arrested and not
less than 1000 killed. The 33 who
signed the declaration revealed
themselves to the police. They
were taken to the Central Police
Headquarters. distributing copies
of the declaration on the way
They were tortured and many dice
in Jail. Two boys who had rune
the 1,500 year old Liberty Bell
silent since the annexation
vanished into prison. So did girls
who had passed copies OF the
secretly printed independence
News or waved Korean flags ir
their Japanese-controlled schools
Churches, filed with men, womer
and children, who attended indie
pendence meetings. were burned.
Yet nobody lifted a hand. The
crowds were unarmed. With copie!
of the Declaration of 1ndepend
ence, the leaders of the revolution
had sent instructions: "Whatevel
you do, do not insult the japanese
do not throw stones. do not hi
with your fists. for these are th'
acts of barbarians!"
Went Into Exile
A month later. the leaders o
13 provinces met and drew up
plan for a provisional republic
Together with exiled groups il
Siberia and Manchuria. the.
chose Syngman Rhee as President
They were not even allowed to g.
to Paris to plead their cause. Tn
Japanese delegation threatened t.
withdraw from the peace confer
ence if the Korean subject Wer,