평안남도 중화지역 3․1운동의 전개와 참여자 분석

Abstract

In this study, the March First Movement in Junghwa-gun, Pyeongannam-do was reviewed. Junghwa-gun was formed by merging Junghwa-gun and Sangwon-gun in the Korean Empire period. This region was a transportation hub in terms of its location in the middle of Seoul and Pyeongyang and sharing borders with Daedong-gun and Gangdong-gun on the north, Gangseo-gun and Yongang-gun on the west, and Hwanghae-do on the east and south. In this setting, the Junghwa region had been plagued with multiple plunders even before the Japanese colonial rule, and thus initiated various movements for the restoration of national sovereignty early on. In addition, Cheondogyo and Christianity had been rooted in the Junghwa region since before the the March First Movement. Amid these related factors, the March First Movement began in earnest with the spread of the Declaration of Independence on March 1, the movement’s first day. On that day, a demonstration was attempted although it did not take place. However, the movement was launched the next day, on March 2. Since then, the March First Movement in the Junghwa region had continued until mid-April in close cooperation between Cheondogyo and Christianity. Although most protests in the region were concentrated in the first part of March, the launch of about 12 protests was confirmed even through limited sources. The background and development of the March First Movement in the Junghwa region can be outlined as follows: First, this movement began very early in the region given its first protest staged on March 2. Second, although the movement continued until early April, its duration was relatively short because of its concentration in early March. Third, the movement was triggered and developed amid close ties between Cheondogyo and Christianity. Fourth, various plunders committed by Japan in the Korean Empire period was becoming a major cause of the March First Movement in the Junghwa region. Fifth, the movement for the restoration of national sovereignty was acting as the region’s internal impetus for the March First Movement. Sixth, self-determination proclaimed at the Paris Peace Conference was affecting the movement as an external factor. Seventh, over 75% of confirmed prisoners in the wake of the movement were farmers. As the nation’s largest independence movement, the March First Movement has become the subject of numerous studies thus far. However, research on this movement north of the Han River, which is the current North Korean territory, remained inadequate, including Junghwa-gun, Pyeongannam-do. In this context, the present study is significant in the history of research as a case study on the March First Movement in North Korea and a regional study to identify the March First Movement’s progress. Certainly, the study has its own limitations. Although the presence of a relatively large number of prisoners following the movement was confirmed, their specific activities could not be fully identified because written judgements for the first and second trials were not available for a review. The future improvement of inter-Korean relations and the resulting discovery and release of these written judgements, which are likely owned by North Korea, will enable a more detailed examination of the March First Movement not only in the Junghwa region, but also in North Korea as a whole.