UPF Prague, Czech Republic: Korea in the Light of World History

On the occasion of the 103rd anniversary of the Independent movement in Korea, Czech UPF organized a public lecture at the Peace Embassy. The lecturer was Bc. Suyhon Kim is a Korean living for 20 years in the Czech Republic. It was very interesting to hear a native Korean speak about the events that happened more than a century ago on the Korean peninsula. She explained the background of the situation and showed many slides.

The Samil Movement was held on March 1, 1919 and it is a nonviolent independence movement of the Koreans who had lost their identity and suffered under oppression under Japanese colonial rule. It was a non-violent independence movement in which citizens stood up from all over the country and abroad to achieve independence by letting other nations know that Korea was an independent country. It was a national liberation movement in which about 1,200,000 people out of 16,700,000 Koreans participated. As a result of this movement, Koreans clearly showed their identity as Korea to the world, thereby laying the groundwork for the establishment of an independent state later. It also influenced the May 4 Movement in China and the Non-Resistance Nonviolent National Movement in India, Mrs. Kim explained.

She continued: Korea has defended the country by wisely overcoming about 1,000 foreign invasions and kept 5,000 years of history. Then, about 70 years ago, North and South Korea were deliberately divided by foreign powers such as the United States and the Soviet Union. As a result, at least 131,221 people have been separated from their families, and the Korean Peninsula has become the last divided country in which communism and democracy compete, bearing many disadvantages such as indescribable spending on defense against war.

Korea, which loves peace, boasts good customs, and has a single history of 5,000 years, is at the right time to peacefully overcome the battle of ideologies and contribute to world peace by gathering its strength to form a unified Korea again. At this point, in the spirit of the March 1st Movement, it is time to show the Taegeukgi (Korean national flag), the symbol of our hope, which we have hidden in our hearts for a new and unified Korea, and stand up together.

Over 15 people attended this lecture and had many questions.