Issue and opponent: The Korean Independence movement under the Japanese Empire. Korea was under Japanese military rule beginning in 1905. There was widespread discontent over the Japanese control of the peninsula. Inspired by Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points speech about self-determination and support for the Korean diaspora, 33 Korean religious leaders came together to declare independence.
Dilemma Action: On March 1st, 1919, thirty-three Korean cultural and religious leaders created a Korean Proclamation of Independence. The leaders publicly signed and read the Declaration of Independence aloud but got arrested by officials in Seoul. This action took place across the Korean peninsula. Under the Japanese Empire, anything declaring independence from the Empire was considered disloyal and explicitly illegal. This made any individual who made this type of declaration subject to arrest. The religious leaders were writing and reading publicly, but it left the Japanese Empire with a choice; react violently and promote protests or not react and appear to condone the behavior.
Outcome: After the arrest of the 33 leaders who declared independence, the independence movement did not have a clear leader, however, it did inspire many other nonviolent movements across the Korean peninsula. The Declaration of Independence Act was followed by two days of nonviolent campaign rallies. Activists held rallies and parades in Seoul, Ansong, Pyongyang, and many more cities across the country. By April 10th, 1919, around 300 cities had nonviolent parades. The protests included a range of civil society: school children, women, farmers, politicians, and religious leaders. The Japanese Empire responded violently to these protests. Out of the 300 protests, 200 received a violent attack from the Japanese forces like firing live ammunition into the crowds. Even though the non-violent action by the 33 religious leaders did not achieve independence, March First is a celebrated national holiday in both North and South Korea. It was not until 1945 that Japan lost control of Korea.